Sharing Celebration and Sorrow

READ

We worship a God who not only understands our emotions, but feels them alongside us. Christ does not merely sympathize with us—He empathizes with us. 

Whatever we feel, Jesus experiences with us. When we are hurting, He cries with us. When we are full of joy, He dances with us. 

He doesn’t merely acknowledge our victories and successes—He celebrates them with us. He doesn’t just see our pain—He grieves alongside us. 

As devoted Christ followers, we should seek to imitate His example by sharing in both our neighbors’ sorrow and joy. Rather than retreating when others’ pain or privilege makes us uncomfortable, we should share in their tears and cheers. 

Let’s take a moment to read Romans 12:15: 

Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep. 

REFLECT

It can be difficult to rejoice with those who rejoice, especially when others are blessed with what we lack. When we see others receive the things we most want for ourselves, we can grow bitter. 

Often, we respond to others’ joy by grumbling about why they are undeserving of their privileges. Rather than celebrating with them, we stew in jealousy. But as Christ followers, we are instructed to rejoice with our friends—and our enemies—when they experience success.

This means praising God for blessing our neighbors with a child—even while we struggle with infertility. It means genuinely congratulating our coworker on their promotion—even when we feel we are more qualified for the position. It means joyfully listening to our friends tell stories from their vacation—even when we can’t afford to travel. 

It is easier to celebrate God’s kindness toward others when we remember His kindness toward us. God owes us nothing—yet He has given us everything. We are deeply indebted to Him. Not only has He graciously provided us with the very breath in our lungs—He has given us everlasting life and never-ending pleasure at His right hand! 

When we recall what little we deserve and how generously we’ve been blessed, we are freed to celebrate the blessings of others. 

But just as challenging as it can be to rejoice with those who rejoice, it can take monumental strength to weep with those who weep.

Many of us are uncomfortable with our own difficult emotions—much less the emotions of others. We cope with our pain by numbing or distracting ourselves. We make every effort to keep grief, doubt, weariness, and heartbreak at bay. 

But as Christ followers, we are called not only to honestly confront and process our own hurt—we are commanded to enter into others’ pain and sit with them in their discomfort. 

We are not asked to solve all our neighbors’ problems or heal all their wounds. However, we are called to accompany them through their grief and despair. 

Jesus does not run away from us when we are suffering. Instead, He draws near to us when we are crushed in spirit (Psalm 34:18). Likewise, we ought to come close to those who are downcast, even when their pain makes us uncomfortable. 

We are called to “sit in the suck” with others—even when nothing we do or say can help. Even when we cannot offer solutions or quick-fixes, our presence matters. The incarnation proves that simply being with others in their pain is profoundly healing and holy. 

Being devoted to Christ means sharing in the celebrations and sorrows of our neighbors—even when it’s costly, inconvenient, or uncomfortable. 

RESPOND

Take a moment to process what God might be leading you to do in light of what you read. 

• Which do you find more challenging: rejoicing with those who are prospering, or mourning with those in pain? Why?

• Who in your life do you need to celebrate or grieve with? What is one practical step you can take to share their emotions with them?

REST

Take a moment to rest in God’s presence and consider one thing you can take away from your time reading, then close your devotional experience by praying: 

God Who feels with us, thank You for experiencing our emotions alongside us. Thank You for sharing our joy and shouldering our sorrows. Thank You for showing us, by Your example, what it means to be present with others in their highs and lows. Give us the strength to celebrate with our neighbors when they experience blessings and bounty. Free us from jealousy and help us to be glad when others receive privileges we do not. Make us content with the abundant gifts You’ve already given us. Likewise, give us the patience and willpower to sit in sorrow and suffering with our neighbors who are hurting. Let us cry with them and draw near to them, even when there are no easy answers to their questions or solutions to their problems. Help us to devote ourselves to our friends and enemies, as You have devoted Yourself to us, in all our pain and prosperity. Amen.

Port City writer Kate Redenbaugh wrote today’s devotional.