Golden Nugget: You might be the main example of Christ’s love that a person has experienced. Let that guide your responses to them. 

Daily Message:

The Bible speaks directly to how we are to respond to others when they are suffering. The book of Galatians gives us three insights: “Carry each other’s burdens,” Paul instructs in Galatians 6:2. Earlier, in Galatians 5:14, he advises, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” And, in Galatians 4:14, Paul describes how to treat those who are suffering, using the way the church in Galatia responded to his own illness as an example: “Even though my illness was a trial to you, you did not treat me with contempt or scorn. Instead you welcomed me as if I were an angel of God, as if I were Christ Jesus himself.”

Paul knew that his illness could have been considered a burden to the members of the church of Galatia. Instead, they acknowledged the illness, recognized the difficulties it created for Paul, and helped him to feel fully accepted by the members of the church. “Emotional intelligence” is the ability to recognize and appropriately manage one’s own emotions and to recognize the emotional states of others. It generates the ability to offer empathy and appropriate verbal and emotional support, which is vital in comforting those in pain.
 

Consider This:

• How would you score your emotional intelligence? Low, medium, high?
  • If high, great! Continue to offer emotional support to those in need.
  • If low, mimic those you observe showing appropriate empathy and compassion for those in pain.

Take Action:

Commit to following the guidelines expressed in Galatians 6:2, 5:14, and 4:14 when in contact with those who are experiencing pain and suffering. A good question to ask yourself is, “How would I want someone to respond to me if I were in this situation?”