words from the wiser: empathy

As a Pre-Counseling Major at Moody you take lots of really deep classes that force you to look at your life and ask questions like, Who am I? Why do I do what I do? What is God calling me to today? and Have I become more like Christ in the past 90 days? etc... Honestly, I did not expect my classes to have such an impact on my self-awareness and spiritual formation but I thank God that it has.

In another light though, along with these classes are those that teach skills in how to effectively help others who need counsel or just some one to talk to. So,one skill that my wise professor Nancy never fails to talk about is Empathy. Empathy is entering into the world of another person, into their pain, and being with them in it. It is identifying the pain of another and not dismissing it, but connecting to your own pain in order to support them in theirs. I never realized how much of a vital skill it was until I started practicing it with people I talked to & it really made a difference.

I meet with a group of Pre-Counseling majors every week on a team called The Movement (shout out to them!) and in this weeks meeting, our leader Jenna showed us this video about Empathy I really wanted to share after seeing. The person speaking is Dr. Brené Brown, a professor who researches topics like vulnerability and shame. Her words are taken from a Ted Talk she did, but the animation added to her words is what got my attention because helps what she's saying come alive and become a bit more tangible. Even if cute cartoon animals don't appeal to you, please watch this video & maybe learn something new about how to empathize well with others living with pain.

"we heal in community" Nancy Kane

You can watch Brené Brown's two Ted Talks and learn more about her here.

Love, t Olive