Having empathy doesn't mean that we need to plunge into someone else's pain story and rescue them. Sharing pain is not an act of love.
Love is not about sacrifice. Love is quiet, patient, and trusting.
Why do we rescue others? People mirror our unhealed hurts. We then, attempt to quiet our own pain by fixing them. A perfect set-up for a co-dependent relationship.
Letting our pain story bleed into someone else's only creates more pain. It is not a solution. We must learn to lift the heaviness of our own hearts before we can be successful at lifting up others.
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