We are surrounded now by so much hurt. There are so many who have been wounded by this virus-and-fear pandemic. Some have been sickened, some have died, some have lost loved ones. Medical personnel and first responders have seen too much, and some have even come down with the virus themselves.
Then there are those who may have avoided the virus but are also victims of the consequences of it. They have lost businesses or incomes. They are anxious about how to feed their families during the economic shut-down. Even large businesses are closing for good, and employees are left to find work elsewhere.
Add to that the disappointments of schools shutting down, graduations changed or canceled, uncertainty over school or school sports or activities in the coming fall and we have many people who are struggling and damaged.
Paul reminds us in Romans 12:15 that we are to “Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.”
I find that an interesting verse. It speaks of compassion, understanding, and identification. One of the things that I learned working in hospice was that it is not my view of the loss which matters, it is the view of the one who experienced the loss. What I may not grieve over, someone else might. It is their grief that must be considered, not my evaluation of it.
Paul does not tell us to appraise what causes someone else to grieve. He tells us to simply weep with them. Someone who has lost a loved one might not regard another who has lost a business as deserving of the same depth of grief, but it is not ours to judge. It is our privilege to walk alongside and weep with them.
Then again, it is also ours to rejoice with those who rejoice! We can rejoice with those who have recovered from illness, as well as those who are able to go back to work to support their families. It is not an either/or.
Let us put aside our own prejudices and walk with others in their weeping and in their rejoicing. Amen & Amen
