Golda
Meir knew both struggle and success during her life. As prime minister of
Israel, she experienced many episodes of conflict and loss, as well as the
periodic joy of successes and victory in the life of the fledgling State of
Israel. She said of joy and sorrow, “Those who don’t know how to weep with
their whole heart, don’t know how to laugh either.”
The
apostle Paul called us to a life of both weeping and rejoicing—but with a
twist. In Romans 12:15, the apostle
challenged us to look outside our own experiences to the needs of others. He
said, “Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.”
If we
rejoice only in our own victories, we miss the wonder of celebrating the power
of the Lord, who desires to accomplish His purposes in and through others as
well. If we mourn only our own losses, we lose the opportunity to “be there”
for those who are hurting by showing them compassion.
Life is
filled with the extremes of joy and sorrow, victory and defeat. But we have
been given the privilege of entering into those moments in people’s lives to
see the grace of God at work. Don’t miss it!
Looking
to the needs of others honors God. (RBC)
