Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 
Romans 12:15

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In the book of Job, we read about a man of the same name who lost his wealth, grieved the death of all his children, and suffered physical illness. His friends eventually let him down, but not before mourning with him for seven days and nights. They were loyal friends, as “When they heard of the tragedy he had suffered, they got together and traveled from their homes to comfort and console him” (Job 2:11 NLT). 

When I suffered the loss of my father and grief was on public display, three of my small group members traveled at night from downtown Chicago, some sixty miles away, to the funeral home. They knew that they might not even get there before closing, but they did. I remember their emotional support that night—25 years ago. They followed what today’s verse calls on the community of Christian friends to do,  “to mourn with those who mourn” (Romans 12:15b). Although our times together have ended, I still have an emotional bond with them.

Romans 12:15 also encourages us to “rejoice with those who rejoice.” That might be a celebration of a newborn coming into a family, an athletic victory, or even a hole-in-one. Once I was at a golf course with an acquaintance. He is a pretty good golfer. I was a neophyte more concerned about harming the grass than hitting the ball. He gave me grace.

On a par-three hole, he teed off with a seven-iron towards the flagpole, a short distance away. While I looked for my ball near the trees, he got to the green. “A hole in one!” he shouted. “I got a hole in one. I can’t believe it.” I smiled and was happy for him, but my happiness was understated because I had no idea what it meant—that some avid golfers only see that once in a lifetime. He looked at me and said, “It had to be with you.” Meaning, he didn’t share it with a golfing buddy. How much he missed the glory. But I did get it reported in a local newspaper for him. I realized what it meant to him to have a close friend rejoice with him when, years later, while on a four-hole practice course, I hit a hole-in-one. Nobody was with me.

In order to have opportunities to mourn and rejoice with friends, we must be in close proximity. We must spend time with them to see their needs and for them to see ours. It takes effort and vulnerability, but with those ingredients, we’ll find it even easier to be able to obey today’s verse, “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.”

Next Steps

Search your friends out. Consider looking at your address book (paper or digital) or last year’s Christmas cards. As you see the names of special people, your old friends, get your writing tool out and reach out.  Why not text, call, or visit them?