Rejoice with those who rejoice

Romans 12:15 "Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn." Some of the more iconic words spoken in the bible, right up there with John 3:16 and "Jesus wept". I have heard those words used in many sermons in my life to encourage people to get down, no matter how good there life is going, and mourn with people who have lost.

In the last few days I have come to see that first part of the verse in a new light, or maybe a better way to put it is a refreshed light. Five simple words, Rejoice with those who rejoice, that can be very hard, and at time impossible, for us to put into practice. What does it mean to live everyday, not just, mourning with those who mourn but also rejoicing with them as well?

I think that on the big stuff we have it down, birthdays, anniversaries, newly born babies, but on the little stuff I think that we have fallen short of where we should be. Psalm 116:12 says "What shall I render to the LORD for all His benefits toward me?" if we only look at the big stuff in our lives and say that is what the Lord has given me then we are missing half the picture.

An example of this happened to me today. I had to get my emissions test done for my car today, now my car is a 1992 Saturn two door SC with 180,000 miles on it, now let me tell you what I have to do to start the car. Because the alternator on the car is dieing on the car it is sort of a crap shot if it will actually start when I put the key in, so when I do need to drive it I take it out of gear, turn the radio off, turn the fan off, then I proceed to turn the key on and off as rapidly as I can in the hopes that eventually the engine will turn over. Also if you didn't know one of the top rules at the emissions place is that a car has to enter under it's own power. All of this I knew but my definition of entering and their definition of entering are two different things, so as I pulled into the building and was asked to turn of the car my heart stopped. As the man was walking around the car, checking under the hood, and making sure that the gas cap didn't leak all I was thinking was "God please let the car start. Please, oh please, oh please." And as I went to start the car it fired right up on the first try.

Now I am not saying that this was a miracle, I wouldn't diminish the word miracle like that, But I would say it was one of many everyday things that we don't rejoice enough over. Bad news will travel from state to state, even jumping oceans sometimes but it is hard to hear about good news within your own group of friends, and that is a shame. It is something that I am endeavoring to get better at and I hope that others will join me in doing the same.