I was thinking back upon a time in my twenties when I had one of my first leadership positions in the church. I had taken my women’s group that I was leading on an outing. During the outing, Two of them had gotten into a disagreement while I was in another area. Upon my return, I was informed of what happened. I then had a conversation with the women to see if I could help and bring some resolve to the situation. After the outing ended, I informed one of the associate pastors over a phone call about what had taken place. While explaining what happened, I said, it wasn’t even a big deal, and the response I received was, "It was a big deal to them." That phrase taught me to look at things in a different light—to look at things not from my point of view but from the perspective of the other person.
When we do that, it helps us gain clarity as well as understand the other person’s thoughts,
feelings, and needs. I am forever grateful for the lesson of compassion I learned that day many years ago.
There is a quote that I treasure. It reads “If you put yourself in the other person’s position before you make a final judgment or decision, chances are you will always do the fair thing by the other man”
So true!