Sympathy

A very touching story from the Bible is found in John 11 when Jesus was coming to heal Lazarus. Jesus was delayed and Lazarus died before Jesus was able to heal him. When Jesus arrived, Mary was weeping and said, "Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died" (John 11:32). Jesus truly felt Mary’s anguish, and although He knew that Lazarus would be raised from the dead, "Jesus wept" (John 11:35).

When Jesus appeared to the people in the Book of Mormon, He prayed for the people using words which "cannot be written" (3 Nephi 17:15). After praying, the people around Jesus were overcome with joy. Because of their joy, Jesus said, "And now behold, my joy is full" (3 Nephi 17:20). And in verse 21, Jesus wept.

Truly, Jesus understands exactly how we feel. Although we cannot se Him, we can feel comfort from Him and know that everything will be okay. Or we can feel how He is happy when we are happy. Jesus is truly the perfect example of sympathy for us, and we must strive to follow Him. We must learn to rejoice when others rejoice, or mourn when others mourn. In such a way, we can find the most happiness in our lives and help others find the most happiness in theirs, just as Jesus did.