"Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body."
Hebrews 13:3
This is an interesting verse because God isn't asking us just to remember people that are bound or that are in trouble. He's specifically asking us to imagine ourselves in their situation... to go outside of ourselves mentally and learn to understand another perspective, and to remember them as though we were in that situation. I think that's a step beyond how we typically remember other people, and maybe it is something that can help us develop more compassion, and take more action.
It's interesting also because it has a parallel in what Christ actually did for us... he suffered on our behalf, actually putting himself in our place, and therefore, unlike our sometimes-clueless mortal friends, he actually does know what it is like to be each of us. And so when he asks us to reach outside ourselves and get a taste of the sufferings of other people, he is asking us (as always) to become more like him, and to learn to love other people the way that he does, by caring about them and relieving suffering.
Today, let's work on our compassion and as we learn to imagine what other people are going through, let's also do what we can to help.
Hebrews 13:3
This is an interesting verse because God isn't asking us just to remember people that are bound or that are in trouble. He's specifically asking us to imagine ourselves in their situation... to go outside of ourselves mentally and learn to understand another perspective, and to remember them as though we were in that situation. I think that's a step beyond how we typically remember other people, and maybe it is something that can help us develop more compassion, and take more action.
It's interesting also because it has a parallel in what Christ actually did for us... he suffered on our behalf, actually putting himself in our place, and therefore, unlike our sometimes-clueless mortal friends, he actually does know what it is like to be each of us. And so when he asks us to reach outside ourselves and get a taste of the sufferings of other people, he is asking us (as always) to become more like him, and to learn to love other people the way that he does, by caring about them and relieving suffering.
Today, let's work on our compassion and as we learn to imagine what other people are going through, let's also do what we can to help.
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