TEAR BY TEAR

"I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure." (Psalm 40:1-2 - English Standard Version).

FACT: We live in a broken, painful, big impersonal world. As a result, we all experience broken, painful, little personal worlds.

One of my favorite music artists, Sister Hazel, in one of their best songs, "Tear By Tear," sings eloquently about this sad reality. [Thanks to Mike D'Amato for creatively placing images to these lyrics. Warning: an image or two may be mildly disturbing to some.]

[youtube=http://youtu.be/yJQUMoTcSwE]

FACT: We do live in this broken, painful world. But not hopelessly so. By the Lord's grace, we go it "step by step," loving each other the best we can, despite the "tear by tear" experience of our own broken, painful lives. And then in the end...and here's the greatest news of all...

FACT: What's been toppled over in this world, the Lord will set aright again in the next.

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." (Revelation 21:3-4 - English Standard Version).

Until then, may God bless you, both in your steps and your tears. Amen.

S.a.t.S.