My flesh and my heart may fail,
    but God is the strength of my heart
    and my portion forever. – Psalm 73:26

Recently I have been struck with how easily my emotions are managing to get the upper hand. Well, not all the emotions, just the teary end of the spectrum. Simply put, the older I get the more I cry.

Somehow, my heart seems to have become that much more tender.

I suspected I was extra vulnerable this week when I stumbled across a 30-second video of a very old, decrepit, obviously close to the end of his life, Golden Retriever. I fell apart in less than ten seconds.

Granted, life has been complicated recently and every available tear I own is hovering immediately behind my eyes just waiting for a moment of weakness.

The power of grace

Then yesterday I went to church. Good grief. The hymns alone just about did me in. Where is Bobby McFerrin’s “Don’t worry, be happy” when you need it?

But I’m not talking about surface level sentimentality; church is especially hard when those close to the surface emotions are so deeply rooted in love. Because this is what church is all about: love, hope, promise, grace, faithfulness, commitment, sacrifice, belief, redemption. Church is about the amazing opportunity love puts in front of us, and at the same time faith sugar-coats none of the pain.

Take Sunday morning’s “Call to Confession” for example:

Perhaps we fear that if we admit the flaws of our lives, we will find ourselves too far away, unreachable by God’s grace. But no chasm is too wide for God. In the act of confession we begin the work of reconciliation, reaching out so God can take our hand once again. Trusting in God’s grace, let us confess our sin.

Wow!

“Perhaps we fear that if we admit the flaws of our lives, we will find ourselves too far away, unreachable by God’s grace. But no chasm is too wide for God.”

I want to hear that again: “No chasm is too wide for God.”

Music is the coup de grâce:

Okay, great, so my eyes couldn’t help but fill right up. My tear-ducts had already been challenged singing the first hymn, “Fairest Lord Jesus,” and then the choir stands up to offer the anthem, “People need the Lord.”

I am not saying our choir should meet Simon Cowell, but they do sing with all their hearts and that makes everything beautiful. So listen to this video clip, it should be cued up at the right place.

After the message the congregation joined in a beautiful Mexican hymn, Pues si vivimos. “When we are living” presents a gentle melody and deeply meaningful words. I was doing fine until the words started to tug at my heart. The last verse points out, “Across this wide world we will always find, those who are crying with no peace of mind…” And the tears just poured out!

The point of this post is that it is impossible not to experience deep emotions and cascades of tears when people we love deeply are in pain. That is the cost of love and it is better than being hardened or calloused or indifferent.

But what I want to see most of all is healing.

And it is not because I am 69 years old and more tender than I used to be, it is because I have lived with real love for so long I no longer have any defenses left against it!

In love, and because love is worth it – DEREK

When we are living it is in Christ Jesus
And when we’re dying it is in the Lord
Both in our living and in our dying
We belong to God we belong to God

Through all our living we our fruits must give
Good works of service are for offering
When we are giving or when receiving
We belong to God we belong to God

‘Mid times of sorrow and in times of pain
When sensing beauty or in love’s embrace
Whether we suffer or sing rejoicing
We belong to God we belong to God

Across this wide word we shall always find
Those who are crying with no peace of mind
But when we help them or when we feed them
We belong to God we belong to God

We belong to God we belong to God