Romans 12:14-16
Verse 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.
Part of loving one another is being on the roller coaster of life together. We all ride this journey of life and while we may not all be on the same track or portion of the track at the same time, we all know about the hills and dips of the ride. These highs and lows are what Paul was reminding the believers about, they needed to remember to stick together throughout the ride.
The highs of life are easy to celebrate together. We all know how wonderful the high points of life are. When we are atop of the ride and feel like we can see forever, we tend to think of all the people we want to share the moment with. There is nothing like hearing that person we care about rejoicing with us at the amazing thing we are experiencing right now. The ride to the top is so much more fun when we are with friends.
Of course it isn’t all about our journey, our friends and family also have those high moments which we can join them in celebrating. Whether it is a football championship won by the local team or the person who was has been without a job getting the long awaited opportunity to work, we can rejoice with them. But maybe those highs are more on the personal level, an accountability partner rejoicing with their friend who has just said no to a sin which has held them in bondage for years, it is still a time to celebrate together, even in private.
For all those highs there are opposing lows. Just as with all of us having mountain top moments, we also have times of plunging to the valleys. These plunges show up in life when we receive an unexpected diagnosis or a life event which upends our lives like an accident or sudden loss. These may be times when we try to pull into ourselves but Paul understood how important it is to be there for each other during those hard times.
The valleys can be quiet times. Mourning with those who mourn doesn’t necessarily mean actually sobbing with those who sob, but it is definitely being there with them as they sob. In those low times of life we need comfort and a listening ear, and that means in the low moments of those around us, we need to do the comforting and be the shoulder to cry on. We are on this journey together so let’s journey in love.
Making It Personal
When has someone rejoiced or mourned with you? When have you rejoiced or mourned with someone? Who needs you in their car on the rollercoaster today?
Making It Personal Kids
Has anyone helped you celebrate something? Has anyone ever come to help you through a hard time? Who could you celebrate or comfort today?
Closing Prayer
Father, thank You for always being there for us, in the good and bad times. Teach us how to love in this way so no one is ever alone in their ups or downs. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Commentaires