Can you Hear me?

“There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:28

“Hello! can you hear me?”. In a year disrupted heavily by CoVID19 – my office agrees that this was the most used phrase in the year 2020 (possibly the same for many other organizations). As an international organization, our interactions were cold and often unfriendly, we had previously struggled to create a community of unified experiences. The year 2020 changed all this, the crisis became a unifying experience. We experienced the lives of our colleagues in new way, as friends – we were invited to each other’s homes, met their children and had people talk about a piece of their homes that inspired them.

2020 was a tough year for many, but it also inspired empathy – for once it was possible for any set of people across the world to feel exactly how others on the other side of the world felt. The isolation, extended time with family for the first time, illness or even the pain of loss of loved ones.

Reflecting on this unique circumstance, I understand Paul’s words in Galatians 3:28 in a new light. I must feel as one and with empathy through Christ for all that I come across. Even if they do not look like me or believe the same things I believe or in the same way I do.

Beyond the feeling, empathy means I can and must do something to touch the lives of others. I must act to strengthen faith for those facing persecution, speak about Christ to those in doubt and pray unendingly for those who are yet to be saved.

I must feel and I must act.