Romans 12:15
Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep.
One of my favorite anecdotes from a sermon is about the shepherds from the nativity. They weren’t doing anything other than showing up for work.
Too often, we focus on bold, charismatic, mindblowing miracles. Not the shepherds, they were living a quiet, faithful life, and God met them in the mundane.
To rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep requires us to be in community. Community takes effort. It can even be monotonous and hard -- messy humans are messy, but we cannot rejoice nor weep unless we are faithful.
The hardest part is showing up.
When have you experienced the power of someone simply showing up for you? What makes it hard for you to show up consistently for others in community? How can you further foster community this week?
–Jeanette Capel