Created for Connection

Then the LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.” (Genesis 2:18 NLT)

A basic human need is to be heard and understood – but in a world where glances have taken the place of eye-to-eye contact and text messaging has replaced human conversation, is that still possible? With the help of empathy, the answer is yes. By its definition, empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another.

The Lord God said in Genesis 2:18, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.” And then God said that it was good (Genesis 1:31), thus “relationships” became a part of humanity’s basic design. Please don’t miss that beautiful fact. We were never meant to do life alone – quite the opposite in fact.

The use of empathy is critical when it comes to building connection. My grandmother would say at times, “We don’t know what it’s like to walk in someone else’s shoes, but try to imagine literally putting your feet in their shoes and living their lives for a while, and then you’ll see them differently.” Sounds like my grandmother was trying to teach a heaping does of empathy, and those words of wisdom still ring true today. Understanding who you are with is important for connection, so be curious, listen carefully, and be sensitive to the feelings of who you might come in contact with.

Tangible Takeaway:

As you develop a language for empathy, pray Psalm 19:14 (NASB), “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight.”

To help a heart of empathy, grab a piece of paper and write down as many Scriptures as you can find that help your connection with others. You can start with Psalm 19:14.

This is an excerpt from We’re Still in This by Susan Goss – a new relationship devotional book released by DaySpring publishing.  Learn more about this book, or shop other books from DaySpring.