Weep with Those Who Weep

As I preached about James’ words about when we “meet trials of various kinds.” I was struck by the faces I saw in that moment who are bearing up through painful trials right now. Sometimes when you preach, you have a sort of “out of body” experience. As I spoke, I saw people whose stories are painfully in process everywhere I looked,. The good news from James’ words? It is all leading toward perfection. God is working His purposes to make you whole. And that certainly is a motivation to endure through the trial. We also talked about His wisdom that is guaranteed if we ask in faith. We truly have what we need to endure.

More than that, though, I was thinking of another resource available to us. It is something core to CBC’s DNA. One of our core values is being “Adopted In.” This is not only the reality of being part of the family of God, but also being part of a particular family that is the local church. The local church—CBC in our case—is the place where we get to practice all that the book of Acts describes and the New Testament epistles instruct.

In particular, when we think about trials, Romans 12:12-16 comes to mind. “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.”

What caused my mind to jump to this passage are Paul’s words, “weep with those who weep.” In the trials of others, if we know and care for them, their pain becomes our pain. Their glory becomes our glory. More than that, in this passage, Paul’s commands come rapid fire. We support one another—financially, socially, and emotionally. We make ourselves available to others to share a meal and fellowship over the Word, but also to pause and live in the grief and joy of their moments with them. To set up a meal train. To stop for a moment, lay our hand on them and pray with them. To offer to babysit their kids to give them a moment of respite. To sit and listen to their loneliness. To invite them for a cup of coffee or a quick bite to eat so we can hear more of their story. To recognize when words are unhelpful and instead offer a hug.

All of this assumes that we know one another. And that we allow ourselves to be known. That is a challenging thing. It requires vulnerability that abandons self-protection. So, who would you say knows you? If the answer is no one, why is that? If the answer is not someone at CBC, shouldn’t it be? Don’t float through life unknown. It may be easier, but it is not life as God intended.

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