2 minute read.
Daily Reading: Daniel 1:1-2:23 ESV, 1 Peter 3:8-4:6 ESV, Psalm 119:65-80 ESV, Proverbs 28:14 ESV
Daily Verse: “Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind.” (1 Peter 3:8 ESV)
SUMPATHES (4835): “Having a fellow-feeling, mutually commiserative: having compassion.”[1]
Mutually commiserative.
As Christ’s followers, we should agree we should exude the qualities in today’s verse. Showing sympathy and brotherly love towards everyone we meet should become a usual way of life. Asking God to keep our hearts tender and minds humble will help us show those qualities to others.
Feeling or expressing sympathy towards someone means putting yourself in their place and imagining what they feel. No one can truly understand someone else’s pain unless they’ve experienced the exact same thing as the individual. But we can try to understand their feelings of sorrow and express compassion to people in distress.
Express compassion.
Sympathizing with someone means expressing compassion to them through words or actions. When my husband’s knee bothered him, I expressed sympathy by sitting with him when he couldn’t do everyday activities, getting him ice bags, and serving him, so he wouldn’t have to move. Similarly, if I’m sick, my husband takes care of me.
Sympathizing with someone lets them know that someone shares their pain with them. Simple actions, like sending a card or cooking a meal, can lighten someone’s heart and make them feel better in their pit.
Everyone has pain in their life we can’t see. People respond to the world around them from their hurts, trying to protect themselves from further harm. When we express compassion, they let their guard down, allowing their hearts to soften and receive God’s love.
Become known for your compassion and sympathy towards others. If someone’s actions hurt you, before concluding, remind yourself that they have pain too. Hurting people hurt others, often unintentionally. Allow God’s grace and mercy to flow through you to them.
Jesus lived His life sharing brotherly love and sympathy towards others. Christ exemplified a tender heart and humble mind. As followers of Him, we should do the same.
[1] Strong, J., & Strong, J. (2010). The New Strong’s expanded exhaustive concordance of the Bible. Greek Dictionary of the New Testament (p. 238) Thomas Nelson
