Shared Joy Is Double Joy

by Charles R. Swindoll

Two are better than one because

they have a good return for their labor.

Ecclesiastes 4:9

There's an old Swedish motto that hangs in many a kitchen: "Shared joy is a double joy. Shared sorrow is half a sorrow."

The secret of survival is not simply enjoying life's joys and enduring its sorrows, it is in sharing both with others.

We gain perspective by having somebody at our side. We gain objectivity. We gain courage in threatening situations. Having others near tempers our dogmatism and softens our intolerance. We gain another opinion. We gain what today, in our technical world, is called "input."

In other words, it is better not to work or live one's life all alone. It's better not to minister all alone. It's better to have someone alongside us in the battle.

For that reason, during my days in the Marines, we were taught that if the command "dig in" were issued, we should dig a hole large enough for two.