Sometimes... there is crying in baseball... and in life

In a family favorite, "A League of Their Own," the coach starts yelling repeatedly, "There's no crying in baseball! There's no crying in baseball!" But, as the player stands there with tears in her eyes, apparently there is sometimes. Just like in life... no matter how much we wish it weren't so, sometimes there is crying in life. But, God is there in those moments to offer forgiveness, presence and healing.

Forgiveness
1 Samuel 12:1-13:22

"Samuel answered, 'Don't be afraid. It's true that you did wrong, but don't turn away from the Lord. Serve the Lord with all your heart.... I will surely not stop praying for you, because that would be sinning against the Lord. I will teach you what is good and right. You must honor the Lord and truly serve him with all your heart. Remember the wonderful things he did for you!" (1 Samuel 12:20, 23-24)

The wrong thing that the people had done was ask for a king even though God was their king. But even though they had done wrong, God still loved them. They needed to accept and appreciate God's forgiveness and allow that to encourage them to love and serve the Lord with all their heart. Sometimes it's hard to receive that kind of beautiful forgiveness... a love so amazing and complete. When we aren't even ready to forgive ourselves, God forgives us. And it is unjust to our Lord not to embrace, acknowledge and appreciate that our Lord is a truly forgiving God. No sin is to big enough, no mistake to difficult. And truly acknowledging that grace is what allows us to love a Lord who dries our tears when we fail and loves us.

The second part of this verse also touched me this morning. The importance of having Christian brothers and sisters to pray for you. In this instance, it was Samuel, but it could well have been someone else. That is what is so important about having special spiritual leaders in our lives: a source of teaching, of prayer, of guidance... there to remind us of God's wonderful character and love for us. I'm so thankful this morning for a visit from my dearest friend and spiritual leader Kammy, who always teaches me so much and dries tears that may not even be upon my face.

Presence
Psalm 56:1-13

"You have recorded my troubles. You have kept a list of my tears." (Psalm 56:8)

This is the verse that most stood out to me this morning. A God who has a list of my tears is a God who has been there for me in my most difficult times. He knows me in a way that no one else does. He knows when I have been hurting and how I have come out of it. I think it's even more amazing to us in the somewhat guarded culture of the USA. We really hesitate to let people in, to let them know when we're struggling or when something's wrong. We like to pretend that everything's ok, that we can handle it. (Perhaps it's has something to do with the famous "Rugged Individualism.") However, we can't handle it all... and only those close enough to us, those we really trust can gain entrance into the realm of our troubles- to learn that everything's not really that ok, to see us cry... and to be there, to be present during the troubles. Sometimes you can't even really do anything physical for someone, but being there is a powerful testimony. And the Lord who loves me so much is there to see me through my troubles and my tears.

Healing
Luke 22:47-71

"And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear. Jesus said, 'Stop! No more of this.' Then he touched the servant's ear and healed him." (Luke 22:50-51)

Perhaps only after closely studying this story in John did I recognize the power of this passage. Jesus (the offended) heals the offender. It is especially powerful considering the context. These men have come to arrest Jesus. They are about to humiliate and torture and brutally kill him in the way that is saved for those who have committed the worst crimes. These men are about to hurt him in so many ways, but Jesus' purpose in going through all this is clear. He is doing this so that those who cause pain and hurt through their sin may be healed... just like this man. The Lord is the one who must be the most offended, hurt and disappointed when we turn from him and sin... but the offended heals the offender. Only through this amazing gift of grace may we be healed... may the tears of pain caused by our own sin and foolish ways be dried. I wonder about this servant. What was his reaction? How powerful it must've been to be healed by the one you have been sent to capture! Lord, allow me to feel the healing power of Your spirit this day, as I praise You for this grace that dries my tears.