I remember back in my twenties when I prayed one day about the problems I was having with my family and I remember praying, "God change them so that they understand." I received an answer which said, "the problem isn't with them, the problem is with you." It was true, and since then (not perfectly, I am only human) I have tried to see situations from that other person's viewpoint. I believe this is the source of the empathy that I have developed over the years.