Tears

Tears are a weird aspect, yet essential part of life. They lubricate our eyeballs for smooth movement of the eyelids when blinking. They help remove micro particles from the surface of the eye and help flush larger particles like grits of sand. The tear duct also seems to be connected to our emotions. When watching the seemingly spontaneous antics of young children as they explore their world or our pets as they clown around in a game of conquest, we can sometimes get laughing so hard tears come streaming from our eyes. Then there are the times when sorrow and sadness erupts in tears. Some of you may have seen the picture of Roxanne Chalifoux, the crying piccolo player from Villanova. Just after her team had lost a three point game to underdog North Carolina State in an NCAA B’ball Tournament, the cameras captured her sadness on the jumbo-tron and later on national TV. With her passion and loyalty to her school, despite the tears, she played her tiny musical instrument; love sometimes shines brightest in loss. And when the Astros won the World Series of Baseball, tears of joy flowed throughout Houston. Weird, huh?

[2 Corinthians 9:6-15] Would you cry if God could not take the time to bless us today because we didn’t take the time to thank Him yesterday? What if God stopped leading us tomorrow because we did not follow Him today? What if we never saw another flower bloom because we grumbled when God sent the rain? What if God did not walk with us today because we failed to recognize it as His day? What if God took away the Bible tomorrow because we would not read it today? What if God had not sent His only begotten Son because He’d rather see us pay the price for our own sins? What if the door of the church were closed because we did not open the door of our heart? What if God stopped loving and caring for us because we failed to love and care for others? What if God would not hear us today because we refused to listen to Him yesterday? What if God answered our prayers the way we answer His call to service? What if God met our needs the way we give Him our lives? The late and lamented Foy Smith used to tell the following story, and added a few thoughts to drive the point home. A preacher was sitting in his office one Sunday morning. It was time for him to go into the pulpit. A friend tapped on the door and entered the office to see what was causing the delay. There the preacher sat in his chair looking out the window. He could see for miles down into the valley below. When asked why he was weeping, the preacher replied, “I was sitting here looking out over the valley. I see hundreds of houses. I see people going about their business and most of them are lost, and I can’t do anything about it.” The friend replied, “Quit crying, you’ll get over it.” The preacher responded, “I know it. That’s why I’m crying!” Have we forgotten how to cry over lost souls? We are so used to seeing hundreds and thousands all around us who are all but impossible to reach with the gospel and, with a shrug, we learn to let them go on with a “so what”, dismissive attitude. Our Lord wept as he looked out over the city of Jerusalem (Luke 19:41). His agony is also evident in the reading of Matthew 23:37-38. If Jesus wept over lost souls, so should we. May we never try to comfort the soul winner by saying, “Dry your eyes, quit crying. You’ll get over it!” Benjamin Franklin once said, “Nothing dries sooner than a tear.” But it was the apostle Paul, who by inspiration said, “...Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel” (1 Corinthians 9:16). Is it not time we start shedding these kinds of tears?