Empathy

I am sad to say I have noticed something in my life lately…a lack of empathy. A lack of empathy on my part to others. I don’t think this is a brand new thing which makes me sad.

I tend to look at people and their problems in measurement against me and my problems. When someone is complaining about xyz in their life, I tend to start thinking I wonder what  they would do if they were dealing with cancer, a dead leg, migraines, depression and all the other things that seem forever stacked against me.

I realized while praying the other day, it isn’t their problems verses my problems. 

It isn’t a competition  for who wins worst day, week or year.  And all too often I tend to do that – in my mind at least. While someone is trying to let go of their problems I am thinking in the back of my mind – yea like that is a real problem.

But it is a real problem to them and I shouldn’t be so quick to judge because who am I to judge them and their problems?

I don’t know what it is like in their life – their life as a whole.

I have noticed that all I see of a person’s life is a snap shot of a snap shot of maybe a day, or maybe only 1 hour of their day.

I put so much stock into this snap shot and think I know the whole story when in reality I don’t it all.

I don’t want to be like this – to always think my problems trump other problems.

I want to learn to look at other people with an empathic heart and know what I see is only a snapshot in time in their life.