Paul's words in Romans 12 always stick with me. Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. When we hear good news from family members or friends, we should rejoice and whoop it up and squeal with delight.
If we do that, that person with great news will feel blessed. So if a person comes to me jumping up and down and says, "I just made it into grad school at Stanford," my proper response is to reply and say, "Way to go, baby. I knew you could do it. I am so proud of you. Wow! That is so great."
But if a person comes crying and says, "No grad school for me. I didn't make it in," the proper response is to put my hand on their shoulder and just say, "I'm so sorry. Doggone it."
Because if I laugh and whoop it up or cry and feel great sadness, the end result for the person sharing the information with me will be the same. They will feel blessed. And that's why we rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn.
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