You don't know

You don't know - you think you know, but the reality is so much more happens behind closed doors than people imagine. 
You think you know because a person shares with you what happens, or how it feels... but the reality is that you compare it all to your own experience... and it is not your experience at all- so you don't know.
It is empathy that makes you relate... RELATING is NOT KNOWING.
I have discovered that it is the case with many people- to realize this phenomenon and to respect it. To talk to a person going through something and to understand that they personally don't know, but might be able to relate. That because they don't know, they can't judge- but they can choose to be there- or they can choose to walk away. Being there is what gives a person more insight, more understanding... it doesn't mean they will ever know. But they will have supported and loved a person through something big and powerful. Being there with that love and support is often the biggest gift a person can ever give or receive. 
Allowing a person to be on their journey and to learn from it because it is their journey is often hard- especially when you want to help them and think you know what is best. But, what is best, is not trying to be more than God is in their life. Not trying to control them or make them see or do things the way you think you would- again- the way you THINK you would because you DON'T KNOW- you haven't experienced life quite like another person has. God gives us free will. God gives us free will and then tells us to love and not to judge lest we be judged. God has each of us on our own path- a path designed specifically for us to help us grow... let people grow and learn. Respect that you don't actually know, even though you can probably relate.