Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
Philippians 4:8 (ESV)
Sympathy is the perception, understanding, and reaction to the distress or need of another life. This sympathetic concern is driven by a switch in viewpoint from a personal perspective to the perspective of another group or individual who is in need. –David Hume
Sympathy is a beautiful character attribute, so you are probably asking yourself, what is the problem? The problem is the rhetoric we are hearing today. “If you had more sympathy, the world would be a better place.” “You need more sympathy…for everyone…all the time…” Sympathy is now the king of character and believers are being beaten over the head with it while all other character attributes pale in comparison.
Aristotle believed the ultimate aim of human life and activity was the development of character. He taught that the most important goal in the course of life was to become an excellent person—a person with the kind of character that earns the respect, esteem, and affection of others. Paul goes deeper, reminding us that excellent character is developed from an excellent thought life.
Here are other excellent character qualities in addition to sympathy:
- Calmness: a quiet response to a stressful situation
- Courage: dedication to pursue a worthwhile goal without giving up hope
- Faithfulness: loyal commitment
- Gentleness: showing tender consideration for the feelings of another
- Goodness: holiness unconsciously at work
- Gratefulness: sincere appreciation for anything received from others
- Joy: exuberance that overflows from peace with God
- Kindness: outworking of love
- Love: meeting the needs of others sacrificially
- Patience: willingness to allow time to grow
- Peace: tranquility that comes from confidence in God
- Persistence: continuing to pursue a goal until it is achieved
- Self-control: ability to direct energies wisely
Shakespeare wrote, “To thine own self be true,” meaning you must continually clarify what you stand for and what you will not stand for—because that is the essence of character. Once you have decided that you are going to build your life around certain godly values, refuse to compromise those values for anything. Stand your ground. Runaway sympathy should not overwhelm or exclude all the other fine character qualities.