Crisis and Compassion: Finding Empathy in the Heat of Adversity

You know, running a business or interacting in the marketplace in a way that honors the Lord is sometimes harder than we want it to be. And through the process, we often learn a lot about ourselves. Marketplace skills, as I’ve come to realize, are missionary skills.

A few months ago, one of our properties was hit by a series of early-morning vandalism incidents while the world was still asleep. The copper piping was cut from dozens and dozens of our air conditioning units. Each piece of copper was worth only a few bucks, but the damage caused? Six figures worth of repairs, and it robbed our residents of cool air just as the summer heat was peaking.

Fixing those units was far from simple. Our maintenance team worked long, grueling hours, and our HVAC vendors did everything they could to prioritize the repairs. The residents were understandably upset—I would’ve been too if it were me. Even though our team did everything possible to provide temporary solutions for the extreme heat, we didn’t create this problem, but no one cares about semantics when it’s 95 degrees outside.

We longed for patience and grace, but the heat was cooking up more blame than empathy.

Fast forward just a few weeks later, and a string of bad computer code crippled global transportation. I’d still love for someone to explain to me how that’s even possible, but there it was. Thousands of flights were delayed or canceled—and we weren’t exempt. A series of cancellations left us driving 8 hours from Indianapolis to Atlanta to catch an international flight that we were supposed to be on the day before.

I spent so much time on hold with Delta Airlines that I found myself whistling their hold music at random moments throughout the day. I mostly kept my composure, but there were a few moments when my emotions outpaced my sanctification—which is a nice way of saying I wasn’t acting very Christlike.

I thought, “What is wrong with these people? Why can’t they fix this? How long can it possibly take? We’ve lost a whole day! I’ve spent hours on hold, and now I’m driving 600 miles to catch a flight. Who’s going to compensate me for the inconvenience and everything I can’t get back?”

You know, the Lord likes to remind me of my hypocrisy from time to time.

When my business was burned by circumstances beyond my control, I was indignant that others didn’t offer me more grace and understanding. But when I’m on the other side of the transaction, I sure find it easier to lose my cool than to find some empathy. When I’m struggling, I expect others to understand my intentions and give me the benefit of the doubt. But when others are struggling, I assume they’re incompetent or uncaring.

I bet I’m not alone in this.

These little revelations remind me how much I still need Jesus—and that’s a good thing, friends. When I face these “copper pipe” and “delayed flight” moments, I’m reminded of the importance of extending grace to others just as I want it extended to me. Empathy should be my first response, not my last resort.

It doesn’t always come naturally to my flesh, but as I lean into Jesus, He can cultivate that in me. And let’s be honest—we all need a little more grace.