Relationship Follows Sharing Romans 12:15b ...mourn with those who mourn. Thoughts for Today: A few months ago an acquaintance of mine shared with me that his father had recently passed away after an illness. I asked, and he shared how he felt about his fathers death. I told him I too lost my father a few years ago, had many of the same thoughts, and I was still working through a myriad of issues that my father and I had never really talked about. The few minutes we spent talking was the beginning point of our friendship. Eric went from being a face and name I recognized, to an acquaintance, and now to a friend. How? By sharing a piece of ourselves. In this case grief. Its the global point Paul is making throughout this section of chapter twelve -- rejoice with those who rejoice, mourn with those who mourn, and following -- live in harmony with one another. In other words, we are to resonate with those around us -- not isolate ourselves. Rugged individualism is not what Christianity is all about. God didnt intend for us to live this life on our own. He gave us a family, brothers and sisters in Christ, to share not only the good stuff, but the mourning as well. Its not always easy to do. For example, I have a tendency to be a cave dweller. That is, when things arent going right for me, I find a cave (my home), roll a stone in front (dont answer the phone or return emails), and stay there licking my wounds (so to speak) until Im better. My friends know this about me. So whenever I disappear for awhile, someone stops by my house and pulls me from the cave to go participate in some activity. Its really what I need. God knows we need each other. We may not want to, but we do. We may not admit it, but its a fact. Recognize this about yourself and others. Rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn -- God intended for us to share the ups and downs of life with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Its why He describes the church as family, because family is always concerned with the well-being of one another. Questions to Ponder: Are you aware of someone going through a difficult time in their life? Have they recently lost a loved one? Perhaps working through a family members illness, grieving over the loss of a job, or a broken marriage? Dont know what to say? Most of the time we dont need to say anything. We just need to be present. Sometimes I havent made a phone call because I didnt know what to say, do, or want to get involved. But every time I have, its been a blessing. To just be present. Dont worry about the words, God will give them to you when it is time. Will you call now?
Posted on: Wed, 23 Jul 2014 12:46:49 +0000
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