Hi friends!
Sisters, do you like watching movies? I love watching movies- it’s a great pass time, and frankly, it provides a nice way to wind down and calm down- it’s an escape from life. We all like watching movies- the movie theaters and Hollywood can attest to that!
Yeah- movies are great. You do have to be careful though: a lot of bad movies exist, and it can be difficult to wade through and find family friendly movies to watch. I’ve found that if you’re looking for a good family friendly movie, animated movies are usually the best bet. And most of them are actually pretty good! And if you look hard, there are actually some really good moral lessons that the animators work into the movie as well. Some of them are obvious, and others really obscure, and sometimes, the obscure ones are the best!
This past week, I watched an animated movie, and one character in particular caught my attention. She wasn’t even a main character- she was the main character’s best friend, which was, in fact, not a large role. But there was something about her that caught my attention.
No, she wasn’t perfect by any stretch of the imagination. She played the role of the rich girl who got whatever she wanted. But that’s the thing- she didn’t act entitled. She didn’t act stuck up. She wasn’t stingy with her wealth- she was actually quite generous. Sure, she was a bit of an airhead, and she was a bit shallow, but then, at the end of the movie, she did something that made me really admire her.
You see, she was supposed to marry this certain man- she only really wanted to marry him for his social status (again, that’s not an overly becoming trait). But then she realized that her best friend and that man were in love with each other, and instead of being bitter or angry or jealous, she was ecstatic! She was absolutely thrilled that her friend had found “true love,” and she didn’t even think twice about calling off her own marriage with the man. Instead of dwelling on her own disadvantage, she was happy for her best friend!
Now, you may ask, what on earth does this have to do with the Bible? The answer’s easy- Romans 12:15a. This verse says to “Rejoice with those who rejoice (ESV).” That’s a command, sisters, and I think it’s one that can be easily overlooked. Because, if we really think about it, how often are we happy for our fellow Christians, especially when something good happens to them at your expense? When they get something that you really wanted in the first place? (This seems to also tie into covetousness- an action that we are specifically told not to take part in. But it’s not necessarily always covetousness- it can be any number of things.)
Sisters- I am as guilty of this as anyone. I let my personal desires and grudges get in the way of sharing my fellow Christians’ joy. And that is not okay. It detracts from the unity of the church when we let things come between us and our brothers and sisters in Christ. To achieve full compatibility to do the Lord’s work, we must be completely unified, and nothing says unity better than if we are all on the same page in our emotions. Like 1 Corinthians 12:26says, “If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.” That’s how we fully support each other, sisters. Nothing shows support more than that contagious excitement or the sorrow everyone feels with you.
And I know that’s really hard sometimes. Sometimes, our first reaction may be jealousy at someone else’s good fortune. Or maybe we’re just annoyed at how happy they are and how much they talk about it all the time- believe me, I’ve been there.
Have you ever heard the phrase “if you can’t beat them, join them”? You can apply that mentality here. If you’re happy about something, nothing can damper your excitement. And honestly, it’s much more fun to join in on the excitement than to let it bother you. Easier said than done, but sometimes a little bit of new perspective can make you a whole lot happier too.
Sisters, this week, let’s make sure we show our fellow Christians that we feel with them and that they are not alone. Let’s be happy for each other!
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