Wellness Wednesday – “Loving Action: Empathy in Motion”
As we conclude exploring the GPS Spiritual Inventory, we arrive at the final marker of the Social component of spiritual wellness: Loving Action. Empathy doesn’t stop at listening or even feeling—it moves. It responds. It takes action. Imagine a world where people truly felt the pain and fears of others, where love wasn’t just an idea but a tangible force bringing healing, restoration, and hope. This is the love Christ calls us to—a love so deep that it moves us beyond ourselves to serve others selflessly.
We Can’t Love Like This on Our Own
But how do we love like that? How do we love when people hurt us, disappoint us, or seem unlovable? The truth is, we can’t—at least not on our own. Loving others in the way God calls us to isn’t about trying harder or forcing ourselves to feel something. It’s about receiving God’s love for us in Jesus first.
“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.” (1 John 4:7-12)
God loves all people no matter what. He loves without condition, without favoritism, without limit. His love is not based on what we can give in return—it is based on who He is. To love others as God loves, we must first experience being loved like that. When we receive God’s love by grace through faith in Christ, it transforms us, empowering us to love others in ways that are beyond our natural ability.
Love in Action: More Than Words
This kind of love is not just a feeling—it is action. “We love because He first loved us.” (1 John 4:19) Jesus showed us what this love looks like. On the night before His death, He got on His hands and knees and washed the feet of His disciples. Foot washing was work for a servant, not a teacher. And yet, Jesus humbled Himself, showing that love is more than words—it’s serving, sacrificing, and stepping into the messiness of others’ lives.
Loving action is not just about grand gestures; it is found in the everyday, often unseen moments of kindness. It’s feeding the hungry, welcoming the stranger, and sitting with the lonely. It’s advocating for the unheard and being a presence for the forgotten. Jesus explains very clearly through the Parable of the Sheep & Goats in Matthew 25 that love is action: feeding the hungry, visiting the imprisoned, clothing the naked, and caring for the sick. Love is not just felt—it is done.
The Spiritual Proof of Life
And this is how the world will know we belong to Christ: “Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.” (1 John 4:21) A spiritual proof of life—just as a pulse and heartbeat prove we are physically alive—is that we love others. If we say we love God but fail to love those around us, perhaps we need to examine our hearts to see if we really know God’s love for us, which is expressed so clearly in the life and death of Jesus in the first place.
Lent: A Season to Reflect on Love in Action
During this season of Lent, a time of reflection and repentance, we are called to examine our lives:
- Are we loving as Christ loves?
- Are we allowing God’s love to flow through us to others?
- Are we putting love into action, not just in theory, but in real, tangible ways?
Lent invites us to open ourselves to God’s love more deeply, to let it transform us, and to move us outward in love toward others.
Take the Next Step: Grow in Spiritual Health and Empathy
Are you ready to grow in spiritual health and empathy? The GPS Spiritual Inventory is a powerful tool to assess your spiritual well-being and identify areas for growth. Click the link below to take the assessment and begin your journey toward greater spiritual wellness.
Use the code “tguse” to take the inventory free of charge. Afterward, reach out to schedule a complimentary coaching session, where we can discuss your results and explore your next steps.
[Take the GPS Spiritual Inventory]
This Lent, let’s commit to loving as Jesus loves—with humility, with action, and with a heart fully open to the transforming power of God’s love.
