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Suffering and Goodness//Haylee Lynd

        

      "My life was one of hardship and forced wandering/Like your own, till in this land at length/Fortune would have me rest. Through pain I've learned to comfort suffering men" (Virgil 26). 

      Some of the kindest, most compassionate people are those who have gone through the most suffering. Queen Dido allows Aeneas and his men into her home and care because she knows what it's like to have been in a situation similar to their own. I would argue that if she hadn't gone through something similar to the suffering they are going through, she would be much more hesitant to allow them into her home and care. This is not to say that those who are more fortunate and who have always been more fortunate cannot be very kind and compassionate people, but going through suffering gives you the ability to understand and be empathatic to others going through the same. It brings me comfort to know this. God uses all things for His good, and I know that some of the things which I have gone through  were so I could help someone in the future. I have had the opportunity to do so, and I'm sure you have to.  

      One of the biggest reasons which I have connected so deeply with particular mentors and friends is because they have gone through what I have gone through. I went through a terrible breakup two years ago. The guy I had been with for almost two years cheated on me. It was very difficult, but it was fruitful. Not only did I grow from that experience, but shortly after my best friend had almost the same thing happen to her. I was able to be there for her and comfort her in a different way. She knew that I truly understood what she was going through, and I think that meant so much for her. So every time I go through hardships, I think about how God might use it so that I may help someone else in the future.


P.S. I commented on Braylen's and Abigales's posts.

Comments

  1. Caroline TuckerNovember 11, 2020 at 9:55 PM

    Empathy is an amazing characteristic that grows with someone. Empathy is said to be an aspect of a person that is best learned and the only way to do so is to go through something difficult. I agree. Because I have gone through a hard situation, I am able to help and encourage someone who is going through the same or similar situation. Sometimes, even if I have not gone through a similar situation, because I have empathy I am able to console and encourage them in the best way I can.

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  2. abbieheddenNovember 11, 2020 at 10:55 PM

    I love your post! I always think about the phrase "Hurt people hurt people". I think that hurt people can hurt people for a little bit, but growing from that pain will cause them to be empathetic and not want others to feel that pain. I've been in those tough spots too and I can't wait to see what God has in store for those lessons.

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  3. Jackson RiddleNovember 11, 2020 at 11:50 PM

    I can relate to your experience. I had a girl I had been dating for over a year grow distant and start to see another guy while we were dating, and while it hurt in the moment, I was able to relate to that same guy when she did the same thing to him a year later. It's amazing how we bond as people over such simple similarities, often times creating deep relationships and friendships over these empathetic bonds. I believe you're absolutely right about Queen Dido and Aeneas and his men. Had it been anyone else who didn't share her experiences, she would likely have been much more closed off to them.

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