Being Sensitive

I've been told before that I'm too sensitive.  Really what is being too sensitive?  By definition sensitive is being quick to detect or respond to slight changes, signals, or influences.  Being a sensitive person isn't a bad thing as long as it moves you to react with compassion.  To have compassion is to have deep awareness of the suffering of another coupled with the wish to relieve it.  Often when you are more sensitive than the person pointing out your sensitivity "fault" they will consider you too sensitive.  Sometimes you can be perceived as too sensitive because you voice getting your feelings hurt or because things get to you more quickly than it does others.  Often the lack of compassion people have can be tied directly into their lack of sensitivity.  People may not be sensitive because they haven’t allowed themselves to learn how or they may have hardened their heart due to past hurts.  I believe we should be sensitive and that allowing your sensitivity to direct you into the right actions is admirable and directed by God.  Jesus spoke of having compassion to a servant who's debt was forgiven but had demanded payment of a debt owed him, "Matthew 18:33 Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?"  The Bible tells us God has compassion, "Psalms 145:8 The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy."  We are also taught how Jesus was moved with compassion and healed the sick, He was moved with compassion and taught the multitude of over 5,000 and fed them with 5 loaves and 2 fishes having compassion on them, He had compassion for the widow of Nain whose son had died and He raised the son from the dead.  If Jesus is our example and He showed compassion then shouldn’t we do the same?  Consider "Romans 12:15 Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep."  How can you rejoice or weep with others when you are not sensitive to them and have compassion for them?  “1 John 3:17 But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?”  How then can we justify shutting up our bowels of compassion?  While we do need to exercise the spiritual discernment that comes when we are close to God and using His spirit to see the circumstances in the right light we also need to realize it's not up to us to pick and choose who is deserving of our compassion.  "Romans 12:16 Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits."  If we want others to have compassion for us then we should likewise have compassion for them.  Jesus tells us, “Luke 6:31 And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.”  We should exercise caution how we allow our sensitivity to affect us and not react the wrong way; “Ephesians 4:31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:”, these were are all examples of ways we can improperly respond to our sensitivity.  Allowing our sensitivity to result in compassion helps us properly respond and allows the following actions to be easier to follow, “Ephesians 4:32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.”  So how do we allow ourselves to be sensitive?  “1 Peter 3:8-9 Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous: Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.”