Famed novelist William Faulkner was attending a dinner party one evening. As the guests gathered to sit down for dinner, one of the women became distracted by her conversation and didn’t notice that her chair had been pulled away from the table by a polite gentleman. As she went to sit, she missed the chair and fell to the floor... surprised and embarrassed. Faulker, the guest of honor, quickly got up from his own seat and sat down on the floor beside her. Instead of laughing... he chose the nobler route... empathy.
God calls us to do the same thing. If we’re going to be able to help others... we have to put ourselves right where they are. Feel what they feel. Romans 12:15 tells us to “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.” Hebrews 13:3 says to “Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.” The world acts sympathetic... if we are Christ-followers, we are called to another level. Because when we choose to put on their shoes and walk around in them... we are more like Christ.
