“Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.” (Romans 12:15) Jesus said we are to love our neighbor as ourselves. (Matthew 22:36-40). One of the key ways that we live out the command Jesus gave us is to identify with what is going on in the lives of others; both in times of joy and in times of sorrow. To rejoice when others are rejoicing and to weep when others are weeping, we must take notice of these things happening in the lives of others. We will never notice what others are going through if we spend our time absorbed in ourselves. Part of Jesus saying we must ‘die to ourselves’ (Luke 9:23-25) or deny ourselves is that we turn our attention towards the needs of others. The ones who are rejoicing and weeping are our neighbors and to be a good neighbor – we must be there with them. Don’t let an insurance company steal our slogan: Christ followers are good neighbors – so we are there with our neighbors in their joys and their sorrows.
