“Rejoice with those who rejoice, sharing their joy.” Romans 12:15
I have a friend who sparkles. I have watched her carefully for a long time. Her life isn’t any harder or easier than mine. She works long hours every day, and she has her share of setbacks and heartaches. What makes her sparkle is this: she shares other people’s joy. Their joy is, quite literally, her joy. When a work colleague gets an article published, she shares that colleague’s joy, and her joy overflows in heartfelt words of congratulations. When a teenager gets accolades for work well done, she shares that teenager’s joy, and her joy overflows in an effusively encouraging email. When her longtime friend gets an out-of-the-blue offer which is likely to bring him millions of dollars in income, she is giddy with joy. No matter how busy she is (and she is very busy), she is always on the lookout for joy. Whenever she finds it, she stops for a few minutes to give away shining words of encouragement. The more she does this, the more she sparkles.
“You never enjoy the world aright . . . till you love men so as to desire their happiness, with a thirst equal to the zeal of your own. . . .” Thomas Traherne, b. 1636