Empathizing Love

by: Adam Stout

There are many reasons people have Labrador Retrievers as pets. Drool is not one of them. Neither is cost. A hermit crab is cheaper, doesn’t drool, and requires less maintenance. But Labs are able to do something a hermit crab can’t: empathize. When my friend Deb gets excited and laughs, her dog wags his tail. When she comes home after a terrible day at work and cries, her dog will lay his head in her lap and look up at her with eyes that say, “Because you’re hurting, I’m hurting too.”

I hate to say it, but sometimes a dog does a better job of empathizing with people than we do. In today’s verse, Paul is not saying we need to spend our whole day laughing and crying with others. But when someone is hurting or joyful we too often keep our distance and maintain our cool. We let envy or our own discomfort keep us away. It is in these times that the Lord has set an example for us. Jesus wept over Lazarus. He celebrated at the wedding in Cana. And we too ought to look for opportunities to empathize with others and share in what they are feeling. This is what love does. Empathizing may be tiring, but ultimately, like all of God’s commands, it is life-giving to follow. Let’s not leave empathy to the dogs.