The Upper Room 11 May 2022 Wednesday Devotional | Share My Joy

The woman in Jesus’ parable was so happy to find her lost coin that she had to tell her neighbors. I felt like I could relate to her joy. After I won custody of my children, I moved to a new town to start a new job doing what I loved. I wanted to celebrate my joy at this new beginning.

As I began looking for a church home in my new town, however, every sermon I heard was about how Christ comforts us in our troubles and the church is there for us in our sorrows. I knew that, but I also wanted to hear the message that the church cared about my happiness. It was frustrating to want to share joy when all I encountered was sympathy. When one pastor happened to mention that God cares about our joy as well as our sorrows, I returned to that church.

There had been sad times before in my life and there have been others since then, but at that time, I needed to know that God and the church were rejoicing with me. I have resolved to be more sensitive to what is going on in others’ lives so that if someone is sad I can empathize; and if someone is happy, I can rejoice with them. When we pay attention to others’ feelings, we can build a community that is present and supportive in all circumstances. We all need to know we are not alone, no matter what.