Well that was most unexciting. I expected there to be a great big 'Welcome!' party as I entered the realm of blogging. But alas, there was nothing. I guess I was expecting too much. Which set me up for disappointment. Oh well. =)
As you can plainly see, this is my first blog entry. (That rhymed...just so ya know) I decided late last night that I would get a blog, because I feel like I have good things to say, I just never get the opportunity to say them. That is why I decided to open the blogging door. I can't promise I'll be very consistent. I would like to be. With my luck, now that I have an outlet, I won't have good things to say anymore. We will see.
Last night I was thinking about a sad truth that I see quite often all around me. Most people, myself included, are always quick to encourage and care when we see someone is hurting. It's part of our nature, to want to help, to want to care. And in most cases, I think we do a good job. That, however, is not the sad part. Take a look at this verse from Romans 12...
15Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.
I would encourage everyone to read the entire chapter of Romans 12, but this verse is my focal point for now. Look to the second part of the verse, "mourn with those who mourn." This, my friends, is what I believe we are all very, very good at. It's most definitely not a bad thing. After all, we are commanded to do so. But the part that I find very sad in our day and age, is that the first part of the verse is so often neglected. (By myself included) We're always so eager to mourn with those that are mourning, that when someone is rejoicing, we just say "Oh, good for them." and go about our own way. But look at that verse again..."Rejoice with those who rejoice..." We're not supposed to watch and then go about our business. We're called to rejoice with them! This is something that I, too, am not very good at.
I'm going to stop dragging this out, and just end this entry with challenge. My challenge for myself, and anyone reading, is to be sure that we rejoice with those that are rejoicing. That doesn't mean stop mourning with those that mourn...it means to do our best to achieve both. Let's not leave out the joy. It's just as important.
Good luck, my friends.
