The earth is no stranger to tears

There are times when we feel that we are alone in the distress we are experiencing. However, it soon becomes apparent that there are so many others who are dealing with their own unique pain and sorrow. There is a measure of consolation in this, as we may become more sensitized to the plight of our neighbour and friends. 

When D.L. Moody wrote about some of the pain he was witnessing in Chicago, he said:

"All over this city are broken hearts. If all the sorrow represented in this great city was written in a book, this building couldn’t hold that book, and you couldn’t read it in a long lifetime.

This earth is not a stranger to tears, neither is the present the only time when they could be found in abundance. From Adam’s days to ours, tears have been shed, and a wail has been going up to Heaven from the brokenhearted. And I say it again, it is a mystery to me how all those broken hearts can keep away from Him who has come to heal them."

It is Moody's emphasis on Christ that should strike us as being important. He is not suggesting that tears and broken hearts are unusual, but rather that people still don't choose to turn to Jesus in their distress.

Psalm 34:18 - The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

I encourage us all to allow Christ to heal our pain and to dry our tears. He is willing to do so.

Living in Grace

D3LM3

The scary part of love is that it makes you vulnerable

“To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable.” - C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves

When Jesus loved his disciples, he made himself vulnerable before them. 

When Jesus loved the world, he unselfishly chose to make himself vulnerable, even though it cost him his life.

Most of us have offered love to someone else and then have been wounded in the process. If this is you, I urge us not to withdraw into the cocoon of our own lives, because despite our pain, there are still others who would be blessed by your life and heart.

Psalm 34:18 - The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Nine

Jesus takes delight in calling the Rif-Raf to himself. Those on the fringes; the outcasts; the marginalised and the broken - each one of them had been cast aside by the religious people of his day, but Jesus saw these people with different eyes. He saw them as they could BECOME and not as they were in the moment. He had the compassion to look beyond the dirty clothes, dirty lives and dirty souls - Jesus knew that if they chose to come to His Father, they would be changed for ever.

"While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.  But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” - Matthew 9:10-13

Let us take Jesus' words to heart this week and contemplate what it means to 'desire mercy' and 'not sacrifice.'

Question: Who deserves MERCY in your community/family this week?

Living in Grace
D3LM3

Words of wisdom from Alan Paton

“The tragedy is not that things are broken. The tragedy is that things are not mended again.” - Alan Paton

Today marks the 115th birthday of Alan Paton and although he is no longer with us this words echo down the ages. I was fortunate enough to hear him speak when I was still a scholar - and I remember his presence was remarkable.

In the above quote, unknowingly Alan Paton speaks into a spiritual state that impacts many lives today. The broken world, in which we find ourselves, leads us to believe that broken things can't be mended. Yet, the message of the Gospel is that God is close to the broken-hearted and that Jesus wants to restore us.

Mark 3:5 - He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored.

May God restore the broken parts of our lives, so that we can testify to the goodness of the Father.

Living in Grace
D3LM3

Pray from your heart

“When you pray, rather let your heart be without words than your words without heart.” - John Bunyan

It is far better to come to prayer with no words and a heart ready to be with God, than to come with eloquent words and no desire to be in the presence of God. I think God would much prefer to "listen" to our hearts cry and be bored by our fancy words and perfect grammar.

What do you think?

Action: Pour out your heart to Jesus today. Don't worry about what it sounds like.
 
Living in Grace
D3LM3

Bandages

"God heals the brokenhearted
and bandages their words." - Psalm 147:3

This verse reminds me of a God who is compassionate and kind. I know that there are other scriptures that seem to point out as if God is angry, vindictive and hard, but I still struggle to believe in that part of God's nature. It could have something to do with the way the writers of some books of the Bible recorded their impression of God, but it does lead to a distorted view of God. How can God be loving when he is angry?

I realise I can't tear out the pages of the Bible that portray God as being vengeful, because they remind me of God's ultimate justice. However, I will choose to respond to those portions of the Bible that invite me into a loving relationship with Jesus. I am not sure if this even makes any sense, but I hope you understand what I mean :)

Psalm 34:18 - The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

 

Living in Grace
D3LM3