Thankful, gratitude,grateful,devotions

Thankful Thursdays – compassion and empathy

 

This website contains affiliate links. This means that if you click a link to a certain product or website, I might earn money from it – without it costing you a cent extra. Want to know more about how this works? Read it here.

One of the most beneficial  activities that I have adopted and that has changed my life is to be thankful.  Gratitude is such a powerful element to enrich a persons life.  I find that when I look for things to be grateful for, that I find them. It has also been true that  when I look only for the negative, that it what I will also find.  It has been important for me to be mindful of my gratitude.  I have found that even when I am in the midst of life’s storms, there is always something that I can be thankful for.

What am I thankful for today?

As I reflect upon the past week I have come to realize how grateful I am for the gift of compassion and empathy.  In my opinion it is a gift, as some people have been so hurt in their lives that they have shut their hearts off of caring about others and how they feel.  Sadly, at one time this was me. It has been through a lot of work that I have been able to work through some of my own hurts. These hurts from the past and even the recent have actually helped me to develop greater compassion and empathy for others. Compassion and empathy that only came once I let go of clinging on to the hurts.

Thanks, thank you

Not Easy

It is not always easy to let go of my hurts so that I can help others get through theirs. In honesty, there have been plenty of times in my life where I have held tightly on to the hurts and no matter how hard I tried to pick up some healing, the hurts would just get in the way. In time I was able to see that holding on to them just caused me even more pain.  That pain kept me further away from others and it made me quite cynical and angry.  As I have let go of some of that pain, I have been able to see things in such a different light.  This does not mean that I don’t have periods of time where I get stuck in my pain. It does mean that I no longer get stuck for so long.

Press Forward

Through my journey I have been able to see that some of the hardest roads have led to the most beautiful of places.  Being thankful helps me to not stay stuck. It helps me to press forward into my life.  Having compassion and empathy allows me to see that I am not alone and that only when I support other people can I  really move forward into my purpose and my destiny.

What is Gods word saying to me today?

Reading the bible

1 Thessalonians 5:18 amp

“In every situation [no matter what the circumstances] be thankful and continually give thanks to God; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.”

Luke 6:36 amp

“Be Merciful (responsive, compassionate, tender) just as your [heavenly] Father is merciful.”

 

What are you thankful for today? Drop me a comment. I would love to hear from you.

Be blessed. 💞💞💞

 

Empathy and Compassion

 

 

91 thoughts on “Thankful Thursdays – compassion and empathy”

  1. While I am not religious myself, compassion and empathy play huge roles in my life, as they should everyone. I think it is so important to put yourself in others’ shoes and understand where they are coming from, but also have compassion and empathy for yourself.

    Thanks for sharing! x

    Michelle
    dressingwithstyle-s.com

  2. If there is anything I learned growing up in a squalor community, it’s compassion and empathy for those who don’t have the most basic of necessities. It truly makes me grateful for the little things like having food on our table and a bed to sleep in.

  3. I am with you on the compassion and empathy. Your post just made me realise I took these God-given qualities for granted and never saw them as a gift although somewhere in Romans mercy is called a gift.

    Thank you for this exorting posts that reminds me of the attidue of gratitude. Bless you!

  4. I have made an effort to be more reflective lately. I totally agree that empathy is so important. I try to see the other sides of situations, so that I can be more understanding.

  5. You’re right, sometimes it is so hard to be grateful, but it’s so important. Today I am thankful that my son’s eye exam went well and we still don’t have to do surgery just yet.

  6. Gratefulness is very important and it will always be. You have to try and think about all of the bad thins in life that could have happened but didn’t, you stubbed your toe–well at least it isnt fractured! Haha, thanks for sharing.

  7. Thank you for sharing these bible verses. I am thankful to God that despite hardships, our family can still cope up and have the choice to live happy and content.

  8. quiethomemaker

    I love this! Being thankful truly is a choice at times. Of course there are times when thanksgiving just pours out, but when we are feeling negative then we really need to make sure that we make a point to be thankful. Thank you for the reminder!!

    Visiting from God-Glorifying Bloggers

    Blessings,

    Amy

  9. I think compassion and empathy are great things to be thankful for. I’ve been finding myself thankful more every day for the little things. We seem to take the little things for granted.

  10. Great post! I always try to be grateful but most of the times fail. If we will see how good God is, it will be easier to do.

  11. I have gratitude every day that I get to do a job that I love. I know many people who don’t enjoy their jobs. I think it’s a big part of feeling fulfilled in your life. If you are happy with the work you get to do, maybe other problems in life don’t seem quite as rough. But this is true with whatever aspect of your life you’re most satisfied with. If you at least have one thing to be happy about, it makes life seem better overall.

  12. There is so much to be grateful for, we tend to overlook.. I am really glad I came across this post today, its God sent. I really needed this reminder. Thank you for being a blessing.

  13. No matter how bad it gets there is always so much to be thankful for.. Thank you for reminding us.. I am really glad I came across this post today. I really needed this..

  14. The good Lord really blessed us this week with news that our newborn’s second set of screenings came back good!

  15. I’m always thankful for my kids. They’re the happiest little girls, even with Kat weeks stomach bug my 22 month old never stopped giggling

  16. One of my biggest take aways from your post is the fact that
    It is important to press onwards. It is really important to be strong and move ahead.

  17. Escape Writers

    Being thankful is a great thing you can do for yourself. Practicing gratitude make a better world to live!!!

  18. I love this post!!! I have been working on gratitude for about a year now – and it totally changes my entire life!! Right this moment I’m so grateful to live in a house I love with the person that I love! And we just redid our kitchen and I’m so thankful it came out beautifully – and that I’m fortunate enough to be able to afford it (even though we did do it on a super tight budget :))

  19. I’m thankful for waking up this morning and being able to read this article. I realize that I take things for granted and I need to reminded of what I have. Comparing is never good. You never know what’s going on behind closed doors!

  20. I’m not religious but I am thankful for many things and I focus on those and not any negativity. There is so much to be thankful for and that is what makes me smile everyday 🙂

  21. Gratitude and the expression of gratitude go a long way for our own happiness and spreading that to others.

  22. When I am going through a hard time in my life, I shut myself completely off. Until now I hadn’t really thought about how that could be affecting others. I just told myself I was sparing them from dealing with my troubles, when in reality I just didn’t want to find the energy to engage with others.

    1. I understand — sometimes we shut ourselves off to protect ourselves or because we are just so exhausted with life on life’s terms. When I find myself doing this I remind myself that I maybe robbing someone else of a blessing. I want to be a support to others — I have to accept that others want to be a support too me. Blessings to you

  23. You are so right! Most people tend to focus on the negative, and what they don’t have. Being thankful and giving thanks to others helps you to turn your viewpoint around and look at things in a more positive light.

  24. Beautifully written Shelley! Today I am thankful to have enjoyed a few days off of work and spending time with friends! ❤️

  25. Being thankful is always keyboard only have a problem with the letting go part since it’s really something I need to worm on.

  26. I love this reminder to be thankful. I’m thankful for my family, my support system and being able to travel around the world. I am truly blessed and thank God every day that I get to live the life I always dreamed.

  27. It is always important to be thankful for what you do have! I am thankful for my family and health.

I would love to hear from you

%d bloggers like this: