REJOICE AND WEEP

“Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.” -Romans 12:15

My single friend hosts a bridal shower.

Our family grieves the loss of a father/grandfather, and then turns around to celebrate a wedding.

Some mamas are expecting little ones, but not all the babies survive.

Friends are separated while others celebrate anniversaries.

These scenarios and more leave my head spinning and my heart wondering, how do we “rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep”…and do it well?

There are seasons to rejoice and there are reasons to mourn, and sometimes it’s both at once. Sometimes the two are clearly delineated, like an egg white and its yolk, and other days it’s scrambled.

Part of living in community, life together, is rejoicing and mourning…humbly. It’s a working out of grace to laugh and celebrate with one friend, then turn around and cry with another. It requires flexibility of heart, being thin-skinned, letting ourselves be affected and enter into the joys and sorrows of others. It’s more death to self and whatever our personal stuff is to listen and love and empathize with others.

In essence, it's preferring others, considering others, and loving others at its finest. It’s acting out Philippians 2:4, “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

And turning it into a prayer, let it be so of us today.

*Have you ever felt this way? Who might you weep with today? Who might you rejoice with? 

For more about Katie's book, Loving My Children, click here. 
Email Katie at lovingmychildrenbook@gmail.com.