There's Crying Coming From This House

If you walked by our house at any given moment in the day, you might hear crying. There are different kinds of tears that are shed in this place - tears of hunger, tears of disappointment, tears of hurt, and tears of loss. Most of these tears come from my three boys as they learn to navigate life in what can be a disappointing, hurtful, and empty world. My newborn cries because he needs more calories, or because he is finished with the previous amount given to him (poop). My next youngest cries because he doesn't get what he wants, or because his older brother finished his sentence for him. My oldest cries because he has a tender heart, or because one of his special creations breaks. There's definitely crying coming from this house.

I'm thinking today, however, about other kinds of tears. There are men and women around our community who shed tears of hunger, disappointment, hurt and loss - just like my boys, yet for different reasons. And as I see the tears fall, I wonder who cares?

Both major political parties use these tears for the acquisition of more power. The social system, although it is staffed by well intended people, have all they can do to just put bandaids onto the wounds. And the Church, well I think the jury is still out on that one.

I have the privilege of pastoring a number of women and men who care deeply about these tears. They take active and practical steps to address the issues that cause them to flow. And yet, like most churches, I also have men and women whom I pastor who seem more interested in maintaining a comfortable tear-free environment. Today, Matthew 25 has come to mind where Jesus is recorded as saying that when we care for the tear stained faces (my interpretation) we are caring for Him. That sounds almost romantic, but that is really hard because it cuts against the grain of our self-focused attitudes. Time and again, Jesus calls us away from an approach to life (and Church) that asks "what are you going to do for me?" Or, "I want things done my way," to an other-focused life of love that genuinely cares about the tears that fall around our community and world.

There's crying coming from this house...but who cares?