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While attention has turned to the political storm at Westminster, the impact of the physical storms Malik and Corrie still dominate people’s lives in northern Scotland and the north-east of England. Left without power for days, thousands are still struggling in its aftermath. It’s a huge shock to suddenly have no hot water, heating or electricity and living without such basic necessities in this cold weather must be incredibly difficult. Even the most simple daily tasks become a challenge and those affected are powerless at the mercy of the many people trying their best to fix this. It’s helpful to be informed about the facts of an event or a crisis, but it’s another thing to truly digest that information, and to let it sink in and inform our lives. Empathy, we’re told, is a good thing. But given there are so many news stories and that the news moves on at a rapid rate, how do we cultivate empathy, particularly when there are so many crises in the world? With so much bad news, there is a need for a certain amount of self-preservation - if only to avoid feeling overwhelmed. That’s how I often feel when I turn the page to read about civil war or the famine in Afghanistan. It is so easy to want to protect myself – to de-sensitise. But, as I read the headlines, I’m reminded of the words of Maya Angelou, when she said: ‘I think we all have empathy. We may not have enough courage to display it’. There were plenty of storms in Jesus’ ministry. Not just physical ones, but emotional turmoil too, and he never turned away from it. He understood the suffering of others and often placed himself at the very centre of these storms, taking time to listen and show compassion. One such encounter was with a Samaritan woman he met at a well, a social outcast with a messy love life. Then there was the time when he invited a hated tax collector to share a meal with him – giving him his time and attention. Empathy is standing in someone else’s shoes, feeling and seeing through another person’s eyes and educating our hearts. It takes bravery and practice. Empathy is hard to delegate and there aren’t short cuts to compassion, but it does make the world a better place. Maybe as we read the news pages, engage with people online or navigate a busy supermarket, we might practise empathy, and see what it could do.