What Makes You Cry?

I am somewhat of a crier, as a kid I would fight back tears at emotional shows or movies and as an adult I have been known to tear up at moving testimonies or while preaching. I had a great example growing up that it was okay for a man to cry, but not to be a crybaby. The example was my Dad, he would sometimes preach with tears streaming down his face, but he didn't seem to cry from pain, with the possible exception of when he had kidney stones. But I was thinking today of makes people cry.

Okay, I admit that I started thinking about it because I had tears in my eyes several times the few days. To put it in perspective I am not likely to cry at pain(which isn't always smart), but I do cry when someone I love is hurting. The tears came as I have thought about people in my area who don't know Christ as their personal Savior. Tears have flowed as I have watched some people around hurting, as I have watched some who are settling for shallow spiritual lives and as I have been reading about how much the church seems to get all worked up about superficial things but viritually ignore the lost around them.

William Temple, former Archbishop of Canterbury said, "The church is the only organization organized primarily for the benefit of its non-members." But it seems that we often forget our purpose and get caught up in what those who already know Christ want for themselves, instead of what sacrifices are needed to reach the lost around us.

Which is more likely to bring tears to your eyes? A dent on your car, or the marriage of a friend breaking up? A change in the style of worship at your church, or seeing that your neighbor has no use for God or the church? Having your church's holiday dinner postponed, or hearing of a neighbor who lost their job? Not getting elected to a leadership position at your church, or seeing a youth making wrong choices in their life?

The Lord has really been working on my heart and mind about all of this stuff. As a pastor I get caught up in the "workings" of church and sometimes forget to be the church. I am beginning to see that may bring a tear to the Lord's eye. I want to be more like Christ, who cried at the death of loved one and the pain he saw it caused in others and he cried as he saw the lost and confused of Jerusalem.

P.S. I was just interrupted in typing this blog by 2 families that need food from our Food Pantry. Their needs all around us. Lord keep me sensitive to the real needs of those around me.