Family Ministry Moments - November 2026

Romans 12:15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep.

Emotions can be tricky. We all have them, but many of us try to avoid them. We don't like feeling sad, and sometimes we even shy away from sharing deeply in the joy or grief of others. Yet Romans 12:15 calls us to do exactly that: "Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep."

One of my greatest failures as a minister happened when a woman in our church was dying. I had visited her several times in the hospital before; knowing I would eventually conduct her funeral, I decided to visit her again.

I walked into the room and saw her husband and daughter watching her slowly die. She was in the stage often called the death rattle, grasping for breath. The sound was loud and disturbing. I talked with them for a few minutes and then politely excused myself so they could spend time with her.

Really, I didn't want to hear the sounds. I didn't want to look into the face of death. I didn't want to be drawn in emotionally, so I left.

She passed shortly afterward. I conducted her funeral and ministered to the family well, but that moment has always haunted me. I wish I had stayed, at least for a little while longer. I wish I had had the courage to face death, knowing that her death was not really death, but a release from this life, free from cancer and safe in the arms of her Savior.

That experience taught me so much. It is not only okay to weep with those who weep, but sometimes it is exactly what is required. Even though I felt like I failed in that experience, I am a better minister and a better Christian because of it.

We are all called to fully embrace the emotion of a situation, whether it is weeping, rejoicing, or anything in between. What often gets in the way is our own selfishness. We feel uncomfortable when someone is sad. We might feel jealous when someone is happy. The common denominator is selfishness. When we make another person's joy or grief about how it affects us rather than about what they are experiencing, we cannot fully live out this command.

When something good happens to someone, don't think of yourself first. Rejoice with them in the blessing they have received. When we refuse to be happy for others, we downplay the blessings of God and reveal a heart that is focused on itself. We should rejoice with fellow believers in the blessings He gives.

The same is true for weeping. When something sad happens, don't avoid it because it makes you feel sad. Don't run away because the emotions seem too much to handle. We are called to bear one another's burdens in Galatians 6:2.

To be the church, we must rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. When we do, we reflect Christ, bear one another's burdens, and fulfill the calling God has given us.