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PART 1
Dear Parents,
So glad you are here! Our topic in this month’s Partnering with Parents is "The Power of Empathy". Children are not naturally empathetic, but that doesn’t mean it is not something they can’t learn. Empathy is different than sympathy. Sympathy expresses concern for people while remaining at a distance. Empathy requires a person imagine themselves as the other person.
The word “empathy” isn’t used in the Bible, but there are plenty of verses that speak to empathetic concern for others. For example, the psalmist wrote that God empathized with the people He created: “As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust (Psalm 103:13–14).
Jesus was also empathetic—expressing deep compassion and concern for others. Consider just a few verses that show His sensitivity to people:
When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them. — Matthew 9:36
When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick. — Matthew 14:14
When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. —John 11:33
When Jesus arrived at the tomb where His friend Lazarus had been buried, Scripture says “Jesus wept” —John 11:35
Clearly, Jesus experienced deep emotions toward people. If Jesus felt such empathy for others, and if as parents we are striving to help our children become more and more like Him as they grow into young adults, then one of the best things we can do is teach them empathy.
Our next email will give some practical ideas for how to do this.
Thanking God for His mercy,
The NAC USA Family Ministry Team
PART 2
Dear Parents,
Hello again!
This month’s video provides some encouragement on the topic of The Power of Empathy. Teaching your child empathy is a gift that you can pass on that will not only be a blessing to your child but to other relationships in their life when they are adults. There is a verse in the book of Micah that says, “And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8 NIV). This is the essence of empathy.
Teaching children empathy is easier said than done—it’s difficult to get children to share toys, much less empathize with others! However, there are a few tactics you can use when parenting that will help foster empathy in your child.
1. Initiate conversations about what it would be like to be in another person’s circumstances. This could happen spontaneously—like when you see a homeless person on the side of the road, or it could be a directed conversation at the dinner table. Asking questions that get to the child’s heart are key: “What do you think that homeless man does when it snows?” or “If that woman has no money, how does she pay for food for her little boy?”
2. Cultivate a family lifestyle that involves helping those less fortunate. Calendar activities throughout the year that will expose kids to experiences that will help them empathize with people less fortunate. Serve food as a family at a food kitchen, or volunteer to weed an older neighbor’s back yard. Use the experience to help your child be more attune to what it’s like for people going through sad, difficult, or lonely times.
3. Model loving behavior. The best way to teach kids empathy is to model it. Kids notice everything, and though it might not seem like they are watching what you do, they are. Make sure your kids see you ministering to others in need and showing others the love of Jesus—whether it’s to the sick, the elderly, those in prison, or the homeless.
This month’s video offered some insight on what empathy is and why it is so important to be transparent and vulnerable to your kids—and how Jesus is the perfect model.
Congratulations on striving to parent in a way that is different than the world. We know this is not always easy. Press on. We are honored to walk alongside you.
Partnering with you,
The NAC USA Family Ministry Team