Sharing the Load

Romans 12:15

Scripture: Romans 12:15 (ESV)
"Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep."

Devotion:

Isn't it strange how our emotions can sync up with those around us? If someone yawns, we might find ourselves yawning too. Or when someone laughs heartily, it's hard not to giggle along, even if we missed the joke. Paul, in Romans 12:15, taps into this empathetic side of our humanity, but he's asking for more than just catching someone's yawn. As he continues his list of applications of the Gospel to our lives, he is challenging us to connect deeply with those around us, both in their joy and in their pain.

The problem is, it's not always easy to step into someone else's shoes. When we're feeling sad, someone else's happiness often stirs up jealousy or even hatred instead of joy. And when we're doing well, the sadness others might be feeling can bring us down and “rain on our parade”. Our broken nature tends to make us inward-focussed. But our nature has been replaced by our salvation. Since we have been saved by Jesus, we are given a new heart, a heart that looks outward.

It is actually only the redeemed Christian who can rejoice with those who rejoice. Who can genuinely celebrate another's success as if it were our own, even when the thing we are celebrating for them is the very thing we wanted for ourselves! We can do that as Christians because we have a deep peace in life, knowing that God ordains everything for our good. So we know that it is good for us to not have the thing we want but don’t have. And we can truly be happy for the person who has that thing, because it is good for them to have it.

In the same way, we can truly weep with those who weep. Because Jesus has stepped into our brokenness, we can now step into other people’s brokenness. Weeping with those who weep means entering into their pain, not just acknowledging it. It is a kind of solidarity with the other person in not just feeling for them, but also feeling with them. As people who are bound by Jesus’ blood, we are uniquely positioned to do this.

Jesus exemplified this beautifully. When Lazarus died, Jesus wept alongside Mary and Martha, despite knowing He would soon raise Lazarus from the dead (John 11:35). His tears weren’t just for show - they were an expression of genuine solidarity in grief. And when He encountered joy, like when He was welcomed into Jerusalem with palms and shouts of praise, He embraced that joy, even knowing the sorrow that awaited Him.

Prayer: