July 17
. . . And God will wipe every tear from their eyes. Revelation 7:17
Tears . . . how easily they flow in times of sadness and distress. When grieving, we think they will never stop . . . in our frustration or pain, disappointment and hurt, our tears reveal the intensity of our emotion. Even when wrapped in momentary self-pity, those tears reflect an aching heart; a heart longing for comfort.
However there are also tears of joy! Watching a new bride walk down the aisle, the birth of a baby, witnessing a “first” in someone’s life, observing the success of one who has limitations, receiving long-awaited good news, observing a glorious sunrise or sunset, just to name a few -all bring a tear to our eyes. But even tears of joy, reflect a longing - an ache within us that is not easily defined. That longing, coming from a place deep inside, is momentarily satisfied in the joy we are experiencing. Yet very quickly it returns and continues and grows, and in an effort to push that longing aside, we shift our thoughts and actions onto the next thing; still it remains. But in these joyous moments, God is giving us glimpses of the lasting happiness we have awaiting us, and in the memory of them we have hope in tomorrow.
Our longing can only be satisfied in God, and as He wipes every tear from our eyes, that longing is fulfilled; no more is there pain or grief, no more self-pity. There is only joy . . . joy in the presence of our God, the One whom we have yearned to return to deep within, since we were born.
Oh Lord, we long for you to wipe our tears away!
Copyright© 2014 Kathleen A. Matson
. . . And God will wipe every tear from their eyes. Revelation 7:17
Tears . . . how easily they flow in times of sadness and distress. When grieving, we think they will never stop . . . in our frustration or pain, disappointment and hurt, our tears reveal the intensity of our emotion. Even when wrapped in momentary self-pity, those tears reflect an aching heart; a heart longing for comfort.
However there are also tears of joy! Watching a new bride walk down the aisle, the birth of a baby, witnessing a “first” in someone’s life, observing the success of one who has limitations, receiving long-awaited good news, observing a glorious sunrise or sunset, just to name a few -all bring a tear to our eyes. But even tears of joy, reflect a longing - an ache within us that is not easily defined. That longing, coming from a place deep inside, is momentarily satisfied in the joy we are experiencing. Yet very quickly it returns and continues and grows, and in an effort to push that longing aside, we shift our thoughts and actions onto the next thing; still it remains. But in these joyous moments, God is giving us glimpses of the lasting happiness we have awaiting us, and in the memory of them we have hope in tomorrow.
Our longing can only be satisfied in God, and as He wipes every tear from our eyes, that longing is fulfilled; no more is there pain or grief, no more self-pity. There is only joy . . . joy in the presence of our God, the One whom we have yearned to return to deep within, since we were born.
Oh Lord, we long for you to wipe our tears away!
Copyright© 2014 Kathleen A. Matson