It’s easy to celebrate with others when we’re celebrating the same thing. And it’s easy to cry with them when we’re also grieved over the same thing. But sometimes love calls us to cry and celebrate with others even when this is not our current personal experience.
Typically, we don’t give it a second thought to connect with others as we’re going through a shared experience.
What’s more difficult is to connect and love others who are going through an experience different than our own.
For instance, when we’re in a good spot and life is going well, it can be difficult to connect with those who are troubled and grieving. And we might be tempted to keep our distance because we don’t want their dark mood to rain on our parade.
But love weeps with the brokenhearted even when this is not a personal grief for us. And as we build our emotional immunity, this doesn’t have to rob us of our joy. We can cry with them even as we remain joyful for the things in our own life.
And the reverse can also be true, though maybe even harder to do.
When life is not going as we expected and we’re struggling through many disappointments, it’s easy to grow jealous and resentful toward those who are celebrating the good times in their own life.
But even here, love calls us to celebrate with them. This is not to minimize our own pain and suffering, but it’s simply to provide what is needed for the other. And, in this case, it’s a time of celebrating.
In the end, love requires us to hold many bittersweet moments in life. And not just in our own story, but also when our ups and downs are different from those of others.
Continue to honor your own experiences. And remember to also cry and celebrate with others as love demands, even when this is not your current mood.
Photo by Anastasia Sklyar on Unsplash
