The Journey Of The Empathic

By Counselor Karen: Today is the perfect day for me to write about being an empathic and having the gifts of feeling for others. Being empathic means taking on the hurts and heartaches and even the joys of others as if they are all happening to me. Lately it seems that there is so much hurt going on in the world that I am tuning my empathic gifts more toward taking on others problems and brokenness more than their happy seasons of life.

Sometimes when we are empathic, we cry over things that are not directly related to us. We also laugh filled with the joy of other’s happiness. It can be a beautiful God given gift, yet at the same time it can take hold of our hearts and make others think we are depressed when really we are just taking on the sadness and vulnerabilities of others.

Not all people get that being an Empath is a bittersweet gift. It can bring immeasurable joy or an unthinkable heart ache. It’s about putting your foot in the shoe of someone else and really becoming vulnerable yourself. I often wondered why I was given this gift. Why did God see fit for me to care enough for everyone around me that enters my life? I believe it’s because He needs people to be there for the hurting, the sad, the hopeless, as well as the happy and joyous ones. In being there for others, we grow stronger ourselves. Most importantly, it makes us so human that we can see past things that others might judge and just live up the people around us.

Lately my empathic gift has been filling my eyes with what feels like endless tears. Tears that sometimes I cannot explain. I pray about it often and the words I keep getting back is, “love them all!” Loving them all means showing by example, encouragement, love, joy, discernment, forgiveness, but most important friendship to those that need it most. I don’t need to ask the hard questions. My call is to be there for those in need, and the reward for being empathic will be joy unspeakable in my own spiritual life.

If you have this gift, don’t be afraid to step out in faith and share it with those around you. You never know who might need you in their life that day. Your actions could be what stops someone from going off the deep end. Or could be the smile someone needs to get through a rough day. Empathic for me is summed up in the next paragraph…

While being empathic is a beautiful God given gift, sometimes being so empathic is so hard. I take on everyone’s problems and heartaches everyday in my work, but especially as a mother and friend and then my own heart breaks. There are days I cry buckets for everyone I love even though my season of life is overflowing with joy. This does not come from depression, but my lack of ability to fix others problems and always be the strong one. So if you are having a bad day know I am praying for you and can feel the hurts you are going through. You are never alone. The capacity of love I have in my heart overflows!