Rejoicing Together

Scripture — Romans 12:15

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

Devotion

When it comes to actually “not doing it alone” with other Christians, the New Testament is full of wisdom on how best to live in community with others. One facet of that wisdom appears in Romans 12:15, “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.” I am convinced that this short verse speaks incisively and relevantly to us today. We need to pay attention to it. We need to do it.

The opening part of verse 15 tells us to rejoice with those who rejoice. At first glance, this seems both delightful and relatively easy to do. Often it is both of these things. Who doesn’t like celebrating with others when they’re celebrating?

But sometimes certain barriers keep us from rejoicing with those who rejoice. For example, suppose you are languishing in your job and wishing you could find another situation. When a Christian sister tells you she just got a great new job, you may have mixed feelings. You are happy for her but sad for yourself. Her opportunity reminds you of how unfulfilled you are in your job. In a situation like this, we need God’s grace to help us put aside our own feelings for a while so that we might genuinely celebrate with another person.

Sometimes the barrier to rejoicing has been built by the person who is delighting in some piece of good news. For example, if something really good happens in my life, I might be inclined not to share it with others, especially if it reflects well on me. I don’t want to boast or brag. So I might be inclined to keep my blessing to myself. By doing this, however, I prevent my brothers and sisters in Christ from doing what Romans 12:15 exhorts them to do. They can’t rejoice with me if they don’t know I’m rejoicing. So, when good things happen in my life, I need to risk sharing them with others.

My ability to rejoice with others is increased if they have shared part of their life journey with me. In particular, if I am aware of some of the pain in their life, rejoicing with them can be particularly sweet. I remember a man in my church in Irvine whom I’ll call Jeff. He had been on the mission field with his wife and two children when his wife became gravely ill. Because their work required them to live far from decent medical care, Jeff’s wife died. Shortly thereafter he took his two young children and returned to the United States to grieve and to get support for his family. Jeff began coming to my church shortly after his return to California.

I talked and prayed with Jeff many times in those difficult days. Understandably, his heart was broken. He felt abandoned by God. He was concerned for his children. He worried that joy would never return to his little family. In my times with Jeff, I experienced the second half of Romans 12:15, weeping with one who weeps.

That’s not how Jeff’s story ends, however. Two years later I stood with Jeff at the front of our church as I performed his wedding to a wonderful woman from our congregation. His children stood alongside them, beaming with happiness. I felt an abundance of joy, not only because Jeff was getting married, but also because I had walked with him on his road of suffering.

This story illustrates one example of rejoicing with those who rejoice. It also points to the importance of weeping with those who weep. The more we do this, the greater our rejoicing when good things happen in their lives. I will talk more about this in next Monday’s Life for Leaders devotion. In the meanwhile, let me encourage you to reflect on the following questions.

Banner image by Zachary Nelson on Unsplash.

Find all Life for Leaders devotions here. Explore what the Bible has to say about work at the unique website of our partners, the Theology of Work Project’s online commentary. Reflection on today’s Life for Leaders theme can be found here: Specific Behavioral Principles to Guide Moral Discernment (Romans 12:9–21).

Subscribe to Life for Leaders

Sign up to receive a Life for Leaders devotional each day in your inbox. It’s free to subscribe and you can unsubscribe at any time.