Don't sleep on joy

Misery loves company, but so does gladness.

“Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.” Romans 12:15

The little girl crept into her parent’s dark bedroom. She climbed up to their bed and snuggled between them. They stirred.

“What happened, sweetie?” her mother said groggily. “Did you have a nightmare?”

“Oh, no,” the little girl said. “I had the most wonderful dream!”

“Then why do you want to sleep with us?” her father said.

“I couldn’t sleep alone!” the girl said as she closed her eyes. “I had to share it with someone!”

I remember as a child wanting to sleep in the safety and comfort of my parents’ bed whenever I had a nightmare. Waking up from a joyful dream, however, rarely inspired the same need for companionship. I was usually content to bask in the afterglow alone.

As an adult, I’m similarly eager to seek a reassuring shoulder when something bad or frightful has happened to me. As the saying goes, “Misery loves company.”

However, I’m not always as excited to share my joys, praises, and simple daily delights. This is a mistake.

Romans 12:15 says, “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.” Sharing our mournfulness allows us to lighten a heavy burden. But sharing our joys is also important because it helps connect us all to the joy-giver Himself.

The poet Anne Sexton wrote, “The Joy that isn't shared, I've heard, dies young.” This, I believe, is true — just like a blissful dream we forget by morning.

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Graceful Contemplations

“Shared joy is double joy; shared sorrow is half sorrow.” —John B. Hayes

“But if you possess faith, your heart cannot do otherwise than laugh for joy in God, and grow free, confident, and courageous. For how can the heart remain sorrowful and dejected when it entertains no doubt of God’s kindness to it, and of his attitude as a good friend with whom it may unreservedly and freely enjoy all things?” —Martin Luther

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Thank you for reading!

Speaking of sharing joy … August was truly a great month, and the highlight was baptizing two wonderful students in my amazing youth group! I am deeply grateful that God is working in the hearts of so many teenagers! Keep praying for our youth!