Looking down from the mountain (part 4 of 4)

Several months ago I read a something that gripped my heart. Someone posted a YouTube comment about their tragic home life, and how the music in the video was one of the only things that helped them get through life.

They further stated that, because they were a sub-par student, their family seemed dissatisfied with them. They wrote that they had no one to talk to about their problems. No one in their life cared about them.

When I read that, I felt called to do something - to tell them that it wasn't true. This was an open opportunity, and it was not one I could afford to miss.

Life is filled with opportunities. And one of these opportunities is to make a difference in someone's life.

Making a difference for the better is something that all of us, deep down, want to accomplish. Don’t miss your opportunity to have that impact!

When I saw that YouTube comment, there were three ways I could have responded:

1. Do nothing - Hey, life is busy! I had other things I could do.
2. Respond with disregard - I mean, what a baby! This snowflake really needs to quit whining and grown up!
3. Respond using empathy - This comment was written by a fellow human being with real problems.

Now, of course, I realize that option 3 is not always the right one - there are a lot of snowflakes who need to grow up. But this time it was different.

My reply was one of the more memorable pieces I remember writing. I explained that we have a Friend that is always there for us. The reason for suffering stems ultimately from sin. And so our Friend offered to pay for our sin so we could have fellowship with Him.

Interestingly, I don't know if the original commenter ever even read my reply. But other people did, and one of them said it had been an encouragement to her.

Now, of course, I am not trying to say I am a perfect person who always responds this way. Not at all! Recently, I got into a YouTube-comment argument with someone else. But that time, my tone was condemning, judgmental, and (naturally) unwelcome.

I have not always responded graciously, but I have never regretted it when I did.

Nobody is a shell a human. We all have personal experiences and deep, inner feelings. We need to understand that other people are going through real experiences that we ourselves might one day face ourselves. Therefore, our response should be the one that takes this fact into account. Our speech should “be always with grace...that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man” (Colossians 4:6).

Like Jesus, we should strive to be “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). These two concepts, Grace and Truth, are not mutually exclusive. Ephesians 4:15 exhorts us to be “speaking the truth in love”.
If we want to have an impact, we must be empathetic. “And of some have compassion, making a difference” (Jude 1:22).