Wise words penned by C.S. Lewis. The application seems simple, and it is simple. If it is so simple, though, why is it so hard? Simple doesn’t mean easy, as is the case here. Paul urges the Romans, “Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep” (12:15). If we back up and look at the context, Paul is showing his readers how to love one another. He starts in verse nine:

“⁹ Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. ¹⁰ Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.¹¹ Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. ¹² Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.¹³ Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

¹⁴ Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. ¹⁵ Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. ¹⁶ Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.

¹⁷ Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. ¹⁸ If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. ¹⁹ Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord. ²⁰ On the contrary:

‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
    if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.’

²¹ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

There are so many gems in this passage. It would take much longer than your attention span here to delve through each point, but we will discuss a few of them. 

Love must be sincere.

Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.

Regarding our discussion about envy (and discontentment), this passage challenges us to rise above our momentary desires and instead (for example) cling to our relationships. Envy can destroy relationships, can’t it? We can become fixated on her success or her easy life or her kids and the list goes on and on. Envy lies to us. It tells us that we actually deserve what she has. It belittles her struggles and makes great of our own, or worse, it convinces us that she has no struggles! This makes us judgmental at best, and hard-hearted at worst. This is the opposite of everything taught us in the Scriptures. 

That is why Paul’s words are so emphatic, so full of action. Hate what is evil. Instead of hating your sister for her success, hate the brokenness in your own heart that is keeping you from contentment. Or hate the poverty around us. Instead of envying your pregnant sister, hate that there is death in the world, death of your own loved ones (speaking to myself here!). Do you see how Paul is trying to lift our eyes?

Cling to what is good! Wow, this is hard, isn’t it? We want to cling to our dreams of more money, a bigger family, a better relationship with our kid, a spouse, etc. Instead of clinging to these things that are not sure, cling to the One, the only One who is sure, the only One who is good. And let us cling to each other. I think Paul is trying to encourage us to value relationships, after all, Jesus did say that the world would know who His disciples are by their love for one another, by their clinging to one another, we could say (John 13:35). 

Serve one another.

Not only should we cling to what is good, but we should also be devoted to one another in love and honor each other before ourselves. How do we do this? We serve one another. We ask questions and then actually listen to one another, sometimes without offering advice (I know, crazy thought, isn’t it?!). We remember that we are all one body in Christ.

And we are all suffering. It’s true. In all the suffering I have experienced in the past few years, that is one thing that I continue to learn – we are all suffering. Some of us are crippled by it, drawn to our knees by our sorrow and grief or anger or confusion. And some of us can keep walking with wounded hearts, putting a smile on, and seem to have the perfect life from the outside. Looks are deceiving, friends. I know this so well. So, knowing that we are all suffering, let us not envy one another and judge one another in our minds. Let us not compare suffering, either, for that only steals compassion. 

Paul continues by saying, “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” Wow. In our suffering, in our monotony, in our envy, we must choose to be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer. This whole passage is Paul teaching us how to love one another. And love fosters soft-heartedness, vulnerability, and compassion. I encourage each of you to delve into this passage slowly this week and ask the Lord how you can implement some of these verses into your relationships with others. I’m sure it won’t take long – this passage is filled with applicable principles and actions to help us love one another.

Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep.

For me, I am doing my best to rejoice with those who rejoice and to weep with those who weep. There is a lot of rejoicing going on around me. Some days it seems to be too much; it seems like the Lord is asking too much of me to rejoice with those around me. 

But when I lift my eyes to my King, it becomes easier. When I look into my sister’s eyes and hear her concerns (even in the rejoicing!), it is easier. When I am able to serve her in some way, it becomes easier. Not easy, but easier.

And the weeping. Sometimes that too seems like it’s too much, Lord. There is so. much. suffering. around me. My heart is heavy with the burdens of my sweet sisters, threatening to take me down myself.

But again, when I list my eyes to the One who suffered the most, it becomes easier to weep with those who weep. When I let my tears flow for them and with them, it becomes easier. When I write out my laments, filled with doubts and questions and eventually trust in the Lord, it becomes easier.

Rejoicing with those who rejoice and weeping with those who weep is not easy, sisters. But it does give us life. It erases our envy and bitterness and fosters soft hearts, filled with compassion for each other. What does this look like for you?

About sarahhamilton

Sarah is simply a woman loved by Jesus. She heard the Gospel when she was young through both her mom and her youth pastor. She made Him her Lord in college after He relentlessly pursued her and brought her from darkness to light. Sarah married her best friend Zach in 2013. She has since had six kids. Three - Samuel, Hosea, and Florence - didn’t make it out of her womb and are now living with Jesus. The other three - Zoe, Sheridan, and Sundance - are her pride and joy. Sarah loves her book club and rock climbing, and she is a birth doula part-time. in every aspect of life, she desires to love Jesus and make Him known.