Empathy

• “Understand that learning and personal growth, skill development, courage, persistence, the potential for empathy and other important life assets, all come from your struggles, and especially your failures.” Beating the Midas Curse, by Perry L. Cochell and Rodney C. Zeeb, Page 52
• Jacob 2: 3… And ye yourselves know that I have hitherto been diligent in the office of my calling; but I this day am weighed down with much more desire and anxiety for the welfare of your souls than I have hitherto been.
• “[Empathy] is defined as ‘the action of understanding…and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experiences of another. With so much pain and despondency, so much hopelessness, one thing we certainly ought to try to give [each person we serve] is the reassurance he is not alone. We should be adamant in stressing that God is with him, angels are with him, and we are with him. Empathy. Sounds pretty inadequate, but it is a place to start. We may not be able to alter the journey, but we can make sure no one walks it alone.”  – Jeffrey R. Holland
• “Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another person. Genuine empathy brings people together; it sparks connections and helps people feel they are not alone.”  Chad Webb, Administrator for Seminaries and Institute for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
• “The scriptures teach us that in doing this, Jesus “considered” them.  As we shared in some of your ward conferences, Mark tells us that before Jesus answered a young man’s question about what he needed to do to have eternal life, Jesus “beheld and loved him.”  In reference to this passage, Elder S. Mark Palmer said: “A vivid image fills my mind of our Lord pausing and beholding this young man. Beholding — as in looking deeply and penetratingly into his soul, recognizing his goodness and also his potential, as well as discerning his greatest need. Then the simple words — Jesus loved him. He felt an overwhelming love and compassion for this good young man, and because of this love and with this love, Jesus asked even more of him.” – President Scott Smith, San Clemente Stake Conference, June 13th, 2021
• “In a BYU devotional, Elaine Walton, the Director of the BYU school of social work, pointed out that helping someone feel understood may be more important than giving them specific instruction about how to resolve a problem or accomplish a task. “We find [in social work] — even those with the most profound problems –have remarkable ability and motivation to change and to solve their own problems once they really feel understood.”  – President Scott Smith, San Clemente Stake Conference, June 13th, 2021
• “Brother Chad Webb, from CES, noted this tie between empathy and those who distance themselves from the Church:  “They are stepping away because [they] see issues through a certain set of lenses — often through the lenses of not fitting in or through heartbreak or unmet expectations. If we answer their questions without empathy, without understanding the context, we may not provide the help they need. Even worse, if we are dismissive, judgmental, or defensive, we will lose their trust and the opportunity to have a positive influence in their lives.” Brother Webb suggested that understanding why people say or do things is more important to our ministry than observing what they actually say or do.”  – President Scott Smith, San Clemente Stake Conference, June 13th, 2021
• “As a member of the restored church, I have often found myself on the receiving end of Christlike empathy. As young parents, my wife and I spent a year caring for a gravely ill daughter. Our daily lives were in complete disarray. I have to say honestly that at the time, this unimaginable hardship significantly compromised the simple faith that had sustained me in my youth. Our home teacher at the time, Skip Johnson, was initially really at a loss as to how to help us. He checked in, but we’d often be MIA, having rushed to the hospital in emergencies, or spending days at a time there.  Skip sometimes felt a bit intrusive asking about the details of our daughter’s deteriorating condition. I came home from the hospital one night so weary, to find that he had let himself into our house, where he stood washing the dishes and scrubbing the sink out. Nothing was that dirty, but I think he found that was a good way for him to work out his frustrations about our situation and to demonstrate his love for us at the same time. There was nothing I needed more than that token of his love and empathy for me. Of all the amazing help that we received during that trial, I don’t know why the memory of that simple gesture sticks with me the most. Skip wanted to enter our burning building somehow, so in “comprehending” us, he decided to do it with our hide-a-key, comet, and a scouring pad. What an inspired minister he was.” – President Scott Smith, San Clemente Stake Conference, June 13th, 2021
• May 17, 1995 – Wednesday – Quito, Ecuador… “We left from the Conference at 2:30pm to be at Franklin’s house.  I left with my head throbbing without being able to think good.  Franklin wasn’t there so I got pretty ticked & when we did see him I started questioning him like crazy.  Well, he took us in the house & started crying telling us that he is big time depressed, and if something else would happen, he said he might be gone.  Needless to say I felt horrible because I had just jumped down his throat.  He looked like a helpless child.  What bugged me most was that I didn’t follow the Spirit like I should have.  So I was thinking of that a lot, and re-evaluating myself.” – Clinton Brown Missionary Journal