Walking In The Shoes Of Others: By Diran Avagyan

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are and yet he did not sin.”
— Hebrews 4:15

I recently visited an elderly patient who had become bedridden after several unsuccessful knee surgeries. With a heavy heart and tearful eyes, he shared with me how his family admitted him to the hospital because they could no longer care for him at home. He felt abandoned, lonely, and helpless.

As I sat with this patient, I remembered Brené Brown’s words about empathy. She says that to be empathetic is not to stand at a distance or offer quick fixes, but to draw near, to listen deeply, and to say: “You are not alone.”

Brown also reminds us that empathy is a learned skill. That is why, in Japan, nurses in training are asked to wear age-simulation gear for hours at a time to feel the struggles and limitations of aging. This practice allows them to grow in empathy by walking in the shoes of the elderly.

The truth is, we don’t need simulation gear to be empathetic. What we need is the intention — to listen, to support, and to be a faithful presence.

The book of Job gives us a striking picture of this. When Job lost everything, his friends came and sat with him on the ground for seven days without saying a word, “because they saw how great his suffering was” (Job 2:13). That silent companionship was true empathy. But the moment they began to explain and judge, they lost it and became “miserable comforters,” as Job called them (Job 16:2).

Every day, when I visit my patients in the hospital, I am humbly reminded that empathy is not about having the right answers. It is about choosing to be present, to share in another’s burden, and to reflect God’s love through simple, compassionate presence.

In this suffering world, God invites us every day to be open and make the conscious choice to sit with the sick, the bereaved, the oppressed, the underserved, the lonely, the hungry, and the hurting. Let us accept His invitation and practice empathy in the face of adversity.