No one is immune to suffering. It touches us in many ways shapes and forms. 

A friend shared with me the physical struggles of a mutual friend - his deep concern clearly displayed in his mannerisms and expressions

Another friend confided in me her emotional suffering as she began to cry in my arms. 

As I sat down to finish my homework, my own problems of impending deadlines and increasing homework began to pale in contrast. How can I ever think that homework is matters in the context of human struggle? How can I lose focus of the vastly more important eternal relationships I have with fellow souls? 

As I become more aware of the different struggles humanity faces, I begin to wonder how I can become so focused on the trivial, the passing - forgetting what really lasts. Relationships. 

As we focus on others, our own problems find their place in the context of life, and we begin to see their actual smallness. 

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. - Colossians 3:12