Often, instead of offering empathy, we have a strong urge to give advice or reassurance, and to explain our own position or feeling.
~~~~~~~~~~~ Marshall Rosenberg
"Dad, I feel like a monster." That's what little Gabe Marshall said to his father, Josh. Gabe had undergone surgery to remove a tumor from his brain, and had a big ol' scar on the side of his head to prove it. Josh could have offered a lot of advice and reassurance, and he probably did, but to a child, it'd be pretty hard to believe that anybody could really understand how he felt.
Josh was a quick study, and took his advice and compassion a step further. He went out and got himself a tattoo on the side of his head that looked almost exactly like the scar that Gabe had. He told his son that "If people want to stare at you, then they can just stare at both of us." A photograph of these two captured first place in a Father's Day photo competition, an indelible tribute to the power of true empathy.
An empathetic father, a wounded son, and two sets of scars, one of which was chosen by the power of love and empathy. Sound familiar?
Whose shoes can we walk in today?
Blessings,
NT
1 John 3:18
~~~~~~~~~~~ Marshall Rosenberg
"Dad, I feel like a monster." That's what little Gabe Marshall said to his father, Josh. Gabe had undergone surgery to remove a tumor from his brain, and had a big ol' scar on the side of his head to prove it. Josh could have offered a lot of advice and reassurance, and he probably did, but to a child, it'd be pretty hard to believe that anybody could really understand how he felt.
Josh was a quick study, and took his advice and compassion a step further. He went out and got himself a tattoo on the side of his head that looked almost exactly like the scar that Gabe had. He told his son that "If people want to stare at you, then they can just stare at both of us." A photograph of these two captured first place in a Father's Day photo competition, an indelible tribute to the power of true empathy.
An empathetic father, a wounded son, and two sets of scars, one of which was chosen by the power of love and empathy. Sound familiar?
Whose shoes can we walk in today?
Blessings,
NT
1 John 3:18
