Rejoicing and Weeping

Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.

(Romans 12:15)

Meditation

I love experiencing the joyful times of life. Of course, I’m talking about times spent with my biological family as well as my Church family. Those are the times I look forward to most. There are new births or weddings to celebrate, anniversaries and birthdays to honor. It’s a time when we can all gather together to celebrate our joy with each other. There are also times when we can rejoice with co-workers on a promotion or some other joyful time in their lives. There are many reasons people will have blissful things to rejoice over.

God wants us to share these joyous times every chance we get because the times of great sadness will inevitably come also. It’s more important for us to come together at those times than any other. It is God’s compassion we share with each other in those sorrowful times. The Lord is always there with us in our times of rejoicing and weeping. He rejoices with us at our righteous joy, and he weeps with us in our sorrowful times also. When we grieve, he grieves too. Since we are his hands and feet here on earth, he wants us to be there for each other in the times when we weep.

There have been times in my life when I’ve rejoiced with family and friends at their weddings or the birth of their children or a promotion at work. Those are the times that I look forward to. Inevitably however, there come the times of great sorrow. I’m talking about the death of a loved one or when a marriage ends in divorce or the loss of a job. I don’t know of anyone who wants to go through those times. I don’t like or look forward to those times at all. I’m in the midst of a sorrowful time right now. I can tell you, it’s not a time I want to experience, although like brings them on a regular basis.

It’s easy to rejoice with family and friends in times of celebration, but I usually want to run the other way when they are suffering a loss. It’s hard for me because their expressions of grief bring up the sorrows from my own past that I try not to think about. I really hate reliving those times when I was in great pain. Even though it’s hard, I let the Holy Spirit lead me to go to them. When they are grieving over something, they need me or someone to be with them. I remind myself they don’t need me to say anything, just be there, weeping with them. The weeping part comes easy.

Daily Prayer

Heavenly Father, we honor you above all other things. We cherish the times when there are reasons to rejoice with those we love. We ask for as many of those days as possible. When we are in the midst of rejoicing, help us to always remember to give you the glory. But when the time for mourning inevitably comes, help us to remember to lean on you. Please ease our pain as you mourn with us when we experience those times. Don’t let us shrink away from ministering to anyone who is grieving. One of the worst times to be alone is when we’re overwhelmed with grief. Remind us, if we don’t know what to say, it’s all right to say nothing. Teach us to quietly show them your love and compassion in their time of grieving. Give us your Spirit to discern how to help them deal with whatever loss is hurting them. Help us to be your beacon of love they can find rest in. In Jesus’ name. Amen!