By Ashlie Miller

My neighborhood walks often look more like a saunter while I stop to snap a picture of this iris, that azalea or those clematis. I enjoy sharing them with friends in my Facebook stories to encourage others to observe their adjacent yards or share with those who cannot walk their neighborhoods. Together, we share our admiration and memories associated with certain flowers.

The fantastic thing is that from house to house, in the same ecosystem, the flora highlighted by owners can vary greatly. One home may choose N.C.-native plants in a well-kept lawn. Another may choose a symmetrical design with carefully cultivated plants usually found in other countries. Yet another may have an award for creating a habitat to welcome and protect local creatures — a natural lawn. Even the actual plants, like irises lately, might be in full bloom on one street today, while just around the corner, nestled in a shadow, irises are only beginning to bud. While it could create opportunities to be dissatisfied with one’s yard, it also gives one a chance to celebrate the beauty in a neighbor’s yard.

Flowers are one thing; grass is another. Ask my husband, who may be the chiefest of sinners in coveting the green grass of a neighbor. Ours has taken much effort, to no avail. Rejoicing over a neighbor’s grass is a little more difficult than admiring their flowers.

Why is it more difficult to rejoice when others have a victory or win in life? When someone gets a promotion we hoped for, is accepted to the college or program we had our eyes set on, becomes engaged, or announces a pregnancy and we are still waiting, how much effort does it take to rejoice with them?

Romans 12:15 couples our need to rejoice and weep with others. Though empathy and sympathy may open the door for weeping together, why would Paul need to instruct rejoicing with others?

• It guards against my covetousness and envy, readjusting my gaze from the provision to the Provider who also loves my friend.

• It keeps my pride at bay. Instead of wondering why they got what I feel I deserved, I can humbly consider how God allows a common grace for all humanity.

• I become less egocentric. I begin looking for goodness that is always happening all around me in the lives of others.

As you get your steps in, consider slowing your pace to a leisurely stroll. Pause to look at the gifts in another’s yard, and if your neighbor is outside, ask how life has been for them lately. You may find an opportunity to rejoice not only in their plants but also in the beautiful things happening in their lives.

Ashlie Miller often gathers more photos than steps on her walks. She and her husband are parents to five children in Concord.