asbc seek devotionals 2025 2 - Flipbook - Page 10
DEVOTIONAL JOURNAL | ALFRED STREET BAPTIST CHURCH
Day 3: Beyond the
Wall
REV. DENZEL GOODLIN
“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep
the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”
– Ephesians 4:2-3 NIV
In hospital chaplaincy, chaplains are trained to be empathetic. This means we learn to sit
with those we are providing care to as a practice for healing. Empathy is difficult because
it requires vulnerability. It means listening to what I don’t always agree with. It means
being open to what I’m uncomfortable with. Yet, empathy builds the bond. It gestures, “I
hear you and see you.” It unites diversity, difference, and opposition. Empathy is love. Our
communal connections require love and empathy. Without this love, we perish. Without
empathy, we stifle growth in our bonds. Our personal and communal growth is tied to
how vulnerable we allow ourselves to be, even amidst differences.
PRAYER
JOURNAL
REFLECTIONS
Imagine going through something
emotionally difficult. What emotions or
thoughts arise when you have to sit with
that discomfort?
10
Dear God, some walls have been constructed that prevent
me from connecting with my brother and sister, who are
different from me. I have also sustained walls to help
me avoid what’s difficult. God, I need your help to break
down these walls. Lord, help me process what’s difficult
in my discomfort so I can show up for myself and others
in the ways you envision for our lives. Amen.
