REJOICE with those that REJOICE

Its November!  We are loving the fall time in Nebraska.  The leaves are so beautiful, there are so many sunny bright days.  Its just good for the soul.  This time of year we all make our best attempt to count our blessings and be grateful.  I just wanted to share something that has been on my mind of the past few months that has been really helpful to me.  When we first moved here a relative of my husband invited me to attend a Young Mothers Get Together at the church that she attends.  The whole thing was very similar to a Relief Society Meeting that we do in the LDS church.  The lady who spoke addressed the subject of "Comparisons".  After the lesson all the women divided up into groups and discussed what had been taught.  As the women shared there own struggles with comparison I was very impressed to hear the ways they tried to overcome the temptation to compare.  One of the ladies there made this comment:

As Christians we know we are suppose to Mourn with those that Mourn, but sometimes we find it very difficult to Rejoice with those that Rejoice.  

When our best friend next door tells us their husband got a better job and they're moving, instead of Rejoicing with them in their great new opportunity, we tend to first feel self pity that our friend is leaving.  We turn inward and feel bitterness or envy when we hear that someone else is being blessed and not us.  Its difficult to truly and genuinely rejoice for a friend who announces she is getting married when you are still single and long for marriage, or having a baby when you have been trying for years and can't.  Its hard to feel genuinely happy for a friend who has a beautiful home and is well established when you are still living in an apartment with mismatched furniture.  We tend to compare first when someone shares a new talent their child has developed...we first ask the questions "does my child know how to do that" and that comparision gets in the way of sincere rejoicing in the good things happening in the lives of those we love.  Its a challenge, one that I know the Lord really wants us to take on, to Rejoice with those that Rejoice!  I have really taken that in and I think about it all the time.  When I, out of habit, want to compare with those around me that phrase runs through my mind "Rejoice with those that Rejoice McKenzie!".  Be happy for the good happening in the lives of the people you love without sizing it up to your own situation for comparison.  I think its a liberating concept and with Thanksgiving coming up I know it has led me to have a more grateful heart.