Simplicity isn't so simple—Take Two

"Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn."--Romans 12:15 (NIV)

Scripture tells us to share each others' joys and sorrows, so it ought to be that simple, right? Try telling that to the person who is mourning while many around them are rejoicing. Don't bother telling it to me.

I badly want to follow this command. It seems so simple. But there's nothing simple about it. Ideally, you follow orders from your God and get rewarded, at least in the end. But God did not make us simple. We are "fearfully and wonderfully made," according to Psalm 139:14. That can't be simple, can it?


I'm welcoming myself back to the arena. My last post in this series was September 4, 2014, and I have no clue as to which struggles I was referring. Since then, life has grown ever more complicated in my household, heart, and mind, and even more painful. This isn't to say that I haven't learned anything from life and marriage in the last few years, but that knowledge and pain are woven together, "for with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief" Ecclesiastes 1:18.

Honestly, I'd prefer less knowledge right now if it meant less grief, but hopefully the reverse of this concept is true as well. In fact, 1 Peter 5:10 says this: "And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you."

I hope no one who reads this thinks that I am stronger than in reality. At this moment, my weakness is in my faith, but I am hanging onto hope by a thread. My struggles are very private, but maybe in time I will reveal more in hopes that someone will benefit from them.

In the meantime, I always welcome comments, encouragement, and comic relief.

Peace and Patience,