Rejoice with those who rejoice, and mourn with those who mourn.
Romans 12:15
This is an oldie, but a goodie. I posted this Time Out at least a year or more ago. Today, members of our own little group are going through various seasons in life. This is a good reminder of how to walk alongside each other. Please take a moment to read this and pray for each other.
This verse is in the same chapter that talks about the church being the body of Christ. We are not meant to do life alone. It's our responsibility to make sure other members of the body don't either. When others are weighed down with tragedy, we are called to mourn with them. Likewise, when they are rejoicing about something fantastic, we should be elated with them. The temptation during mourning is to try to get people to "get over" the hard seasons in life; or even to to cheer them up in the midst of their grief. Yes, healing needs to come, and it will, but people need someone to walk alongside them in the process. It is not a bad thing to feel pain and sadness. They are a part of a healing process sometimes. The temptation during other's rejoicing is to be jealous. Why is that person getting what they want, but I'm not?? God has a specific path for each of us that looks different than everyone else's. We may just not be to that chapter in our life yet. In the mean time, we can praise God for their joy, knowing that they will do the same when our time comes.