Graduation

It is that time of the year in South Africa where our social media feeds are flooded with graduation posts; from relatives, friends, old class-mates from school, and people we've never met whose photos were shared by mutual friends.

Last week, I was lucky enough to attend my sister's graduation ceremony at UKZN as she received her Masters in Hydrology. A truly amazing achievement!

It was the first graduation ceremony I have ever attended and I was struck by the overwhelming sense of shared pride and joy in the auditorium.

Even though every person was there for a particular person's achievement, there was a communal sense of accomplishment and appreciation for what each and every student had individually achieved.

"Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn."

- Romans 12:15 (NIV)

But this is not always the case. How often do we do exactly the opposite of what this verse is saying?

Perhaps it is jealousy or possibly our competitive nature, or maybe there are other reasons. For whatever reason, we seem to prefer to rejoice in each others sufferings and mourn when others do well....

Christ calls us to share in each others joys and sufferings. A truly amazing thing happens when we are genuinely happy for others in their success and when we sincerely share in their sorrows.

As I looked at the elated faces around me last week and heard the jubilant screams when someone received their degree, I felt encouraged to be a part of the larger celebration taking place.