... the text for May 9, 2020

All of you have ... fellow feeling.-1 Pet. 3:8

 The comments today (from the March 2019 Watchtower,  lesson 14, paragraphs 1-3):

We enjoy being around people who care about our feelings and welfare. They try to put themselves in our place, to discern what we are thinking and feeling.

In the world today, many are "lovers of themselves". (2 Tim. 3:1, 2) Because of this influence, it is difficult to really show "fellow feeling". It's more expedient to dismiss what someone says to you as unimportant and trivial.

When someone says, "I feel this way", how do you respond? Do you blame the person, finding fault that they feel that way? Do you deny having done anything wrong? Do you get upset with that one, expressing outrage at the fact that they're disappointed with you, or appear to be 'ungrateful'?

Those are good questions to ask ourselves. As the article in the Watchtower pointed out, we need to imitate Jehovah our heavenly Father and his son.

Is it worth it? Yes. As my quote show above, people will want to hang around with you, if you show care and concern to others. Just providing physical needs is not enough, and it only goes so far. Because of the influence of the world, we have to train ourselves, but the effort needed is important. So, if you have no friends and never get invited anywhere, you need to examine if you have suffiicient "fellow feeling".

Being deaf and legally blind, this is really challenging for me, but I try. I do this through texts, really listening to their expressions of how they're doing and give commendation and encouragement. Because they do a lot for me, I anticipate that they might need gas, or food and willingly offer to purchase these things for them.

And I really appreciate it when they show it to me. When people become a stone wall when I tell them something important or express my emotions, it makes me hurt inside and I limit how much I tell that one, because I don't want pain. I've had enough of it.

Despite the challenges, continue to put forth the effort to show empathy and developing discernment. You'd be amazed as your popularity grows! Most of all, it makes Jehovah happy, and he blesses abundantly.