Compassion and Introverts

Compassion is described as "the virtue of empathy for the suffering of others." It's a truly fundamental part of showing love to our fellow man. I've needed to read up about this tonight, realising that reflection on this topic is vital to something I need to get to grips with in the next few weeks...

But how can anyone develop compassion? Yes, I understand that God is Love, and contemplation of God's love for us will help us clarify the feeling in ourselves. We love, because God first loved us....

However, I've also been encouraged in my readings to "spend time around people" in order to get to know them and therefore to develop concern for their well-being.

Ah.

That's the bit I find... tricky. As a natural introvert, I don't find it easy to deal with situations where there are strong emotions in play. I find that I need a 'time out' to enable me to deal with such issues.

And yet I know there are many introverted pastors and chaplains in church ministry that actually thrive in these sort of areas, developing compassion and insight, and especially using their 'servant mindset' to help others.

Now, there's a target for me to aim for...