I've been doing some crying, lately.

Many times in the past several months,
I've wept over the suffering and physical
deterrioration of my beloved father-in-law, Oscar
Van Impe. Seeing this dedicated, once-strong
man of God (who prayed five hours a day for
the needs of others) lying weak and helpless
really tears my heart out. Repeated strokes
and heart attacks confine him to bed...and
he can barely speak. When I see him -- often
when I simply think of his condition -- I cry.

My own precious mother, who is perhaps
one of the few saints I know on earth, also has
been stricken with a very serious problem,
accompanied with excruciating pain. Mother
has been graced with many gifts from God --
among them the gifts of help and encouragement.
The morning I took her to the hospital
for diagnostic x-rays, she asked two favors of
me. "Please turn in my donation check for the
ministry, and would you mind taking me by
the post office so I can mail some get-well cards?"

She has been the most unselfish, thoughtful,
and Christlike person one could ever meet
in this world. Our family of employees tells
me that when she is in the office, she exudes
the fruits of the Spirit to such a degree that the
very atmosphere is charged by her joy and love.

Doctors discovered that Mother has a
noncancerous brain tumor and an inflamed major
artery in the brain. They feel that at her age,
surgery or other aggressive treatment is not
the best treatment for her, so they are trying to
control the pain and make her comfortable.

Seeing her pain makes me cry. What a
comfort it has been to have a precious husband and
dear friends who have wept with me during
this trial.

A while back I noticed that a young
waitress who often serves Jack and me when we
go out to eat seemed unusually quiet and
withdrawn and there was a strain on her countenance.
When I went to wash my hands in the
ladiesí room, I had a chance to pull her aside
and ask if something was wrong. Tears spilled
down her cheeks as she told me her husband
had just asked her for a divorce.

Imagine the pain of having your husband
or wife look you in the eye and say, "I don't
love you anymore -- I want out of this marriage."
I can't even begin to comprehend the
shock, sorrow, and grief one would feel in
such a situation.

I didn't know what to say to this poor girl
-- but I put my arms around her and comforted
her the only way I knew how...with my tears.

Also in recent months, I have felt an
increased burden for my unsaved friends and
loved ones. Bible prophecy makes it so clear
that time on this old earth is running out fast
and that surely Jesus is coming soon...perhaps
today! So I have been praying...and weeping
...for my unsaved loved ones. It is the only
way I know to minister to them!

What is a tear?

The great preacher, T. DeWitt Talmage,
once wrote, "Help me explain a tear. A chemist
will tell you that it is made up of salt and
lime and other component parts; but he misses
the chief ingredients -- the acid of a soured
life, the viperine sting of a bitter memory, the
fragments of a broken heart. I will tell you
what a tear is: it is agony in solution."

These are powerful, moving words. And
perhaps all of us have either witnessed or
personally experienced the truth Talmage sought
to convey.

But I suggest to you that there is more to
tears than sadness, sorrow, regret, and pain.
Tears can be a release from stress and anxiety,
a vent for frustration, a safety valve for
overpowering emotions. Tears can be the most
sincere expression of compassion and love.
And just as raindrops wash the smoke, smog,
and impurities from the atmosphere, so tears
can wash away the stains of bitterness and
disappointment from our souls.

A time to weep

As Solomon, perhaps the wisest man who
ever lived, once declared, To every thing there
is a season, and a time to every purpose under
the heaven...A time to weep, and a time to
laugh (Ecclesiastes 3:1,4).

We live in a time when everyone wants to
laugh all the time, but no one is willing to
weep. And if someone does cry, it makes
people really uncomfortable. Children are hushed
and told not to cry. Men are taught that tears
don't go with a macho image...that only sissies
cry. And women who weep at some sadness
or loss are interrupted and advised to wipe
their eyes and get control of themselves.

No! No! No! Let me cry. It's all right to
cry. I need to cry. In fact, one of my goals is
to minister to those who are weeping. I want
to do all I can, to say what I can...and when
there are no deeds or words that can help, to
weep with them.

Perhaps my resolution is best expressed
in the words of the late Bob Pierce in his
moving book, Let My Heart Be Broken With the
Things That Break the Heart of God.

When Jesus wept, His tears were for
others. Both Matthew and Luke describe how He
wept over the city of Jerusalem for those who
would not hear and accept the Truth! We, too,
should weep for others.

Weep over souls

Should we be less concerned over lost
souls than our Saviour? Why are we not
crying and praying for the lost to be saved before
it is eternally too late?

I've seen people moved to tears by the
plight of fictional characters in a paperback
book. A melodramatic film may jokingly be
described as a "two-hanky" movie, and it's
perfectly all right. But the same people who
get involved and empathize with artificial
stories can see real live people around them
dying and slipping into eternity without God
and never feel a twinge or shed a tear.

I wonder -- if the unsaved friends and
loved ones I'm praying for don't seem to be
any closer to the Lord than when I first started,
could it be because I haven't shed any tears
for them? The Bible says, They that sow in
tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth
and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall
doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing
his sheaves with him (Psalm 126:5,6).

Weep over sin

Sometimes I can hardly watch the news on
television or read the daily paper without
crying. My heart breaks at what is going on in
our nation and the world today. There is such
evil and perversion, such wickedness and
violence. How long will God allow men's hearts
to be filled with such deliberate, willful sin
before calling them to judgment?

I believe we are to weep over sin, whether
our own, our family's, or our nation's. The
Apostle Paul wrote, For godly sorrow worketh
repentance to salvation (2 Corinthians 7:10).

I am reminded of how Peter, after denying
the Lord during the awful hours before the
Crucifixion, went out, and wept bitterly
(Matthew 26:75). Those tears of repentance
led to his being forgiven and restored.

Weep over sorrow

Just as there is a time to weep over souls
and a time to weep over sin, there is also a
time to weep over sorrow. Do you remember
when Mary and Martha showed the Lord the
tomb where their brother Lazarus was buried?
The Bible says, Jesus wept (John 11:35).

There is a time for sorrow...and when it
comes, tears are appropriate. Paul instructed,
Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep
with them that weep (Romans 12:15).

Notice that the verse did not say to laugh
with those who are laughing and to tell those
who are crying to stop and cheer up. No, it
says to cry with those who are crying! That
means to share their sorrow -- to get down
under the burden with them. And when you
share their tears -- when all you can do is cry
with them -- you'll find it is a tremendously
effective way to minister your compassion and love.

I once interviewed a pastor who had
suffered the traumatic loss of his little son. This
man told me that in the midst of his grieving,
the people of his church did not understand or
know how to weep with him. They would
come to him and say, "Pastor, why are you
crying? Don't you have any faith?"

After a while this minister wrote a book
about what he had learned during his sorrowful
experience. He called it, Jonathan, You
Left Too Soon. But the main lesson I learned
from his experience was that in the day of
sorrow, it's okay to weep. In fact, for most
people, it's a really good way to cope with loss
and grief and begin to heal the broken heart
and crushed emotions. Tears can be
tremendously therapeutic.

I know I have been made acutely aware
of the value of tears. And I pray that God
will make me willing to weep with those who
weep, whether they cry tears of pain,
heartache, sorrow...or joy! I encourage you to
consider whether God can also use you in a
ministry of tears.

Remember, though, that our tears will not
-- cannot -- last long. The psalmist sang,
Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh
in the morning (Psalm 30:5).

I'm here to tell you that a great morning is
coming soon, when we will all be in the
presence of the Lord. Oh, what a glorious promise
and steadfast hope! For on that glad day, God
shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and
there shall be no more death, neither sorrow,
nor crying, neither shall there be any more
pain: for the former things are passed away
(Revelation 21:4).

No wonder Jesus said, Blessed are ye that
weep now: for ye shall laugh (Luke 6:21).

The news media often calls attention to the
large number of homeless and hungry people
in our nation's big cities. The scenes of
people sleeping on benches, huddling in
cardboard boxes, or looking through garbage cans
for food are pitiful and troubling. While many
of these individuals have ended up on the
street through misfortunes beyond their
control, even sadder are the cases who are there
largely by choice.

As I prayed and thought about this
problem, it occurred to me that while not homeless
and destitute, most of us, in a spiritual sense,
have gotten by with just a cup of coffee and a
morsel of bread when we could have been
feasting on God's plentiful banquet of spiritual
manna. As the Apostle James observes, Ye
have not, because ye ask not (James 4:2).

My husband, Jack, and I have a favorite
little "home cookin'" cafe we often visit when
it's just the two of us. It's not fancy at all, but
it's a cozy, comfortable place where we can
relax -- and the food is good. We go there
often enough that we know most of the
waitresses and many of the regular customers.

For weeks we noticed that a certain man
was almost always in the cafe, sitting at the
counter. He looked as if he might be
homeless, usually dressed in worn, slightly shabby
clothes which probably hadn't been laundered
in weeks. He was always alone -- never did
we see him with a friend or ever having a
conversation with others at the counter. His
countenance was drawn and sad, and one could
sense that he had known much sorrow in his
lifetime. The waitresses told us he ate only
once a day -- the rest of the time he just drank
coffee..."buy one cup and the refills are free."

Jack and I felt terribly sorry for this man.
One night as we were having a light dinner,
we looked over at him sitting alone at the
counter, nursing his coffee cup, and it made us
sad. My hubby called a waitress over and
said, "Give that man the best dinner in the
house and bring me the bill. Let him pick out
anything on the menu and tell him a friend has
picked up the tab."

"No, Dr. Van Impe, you don't need to do
that," said the waitress.

"But I want to," he answered. "He looks
like he needs a good meal, and I'd just like to
help him a little."

"You don't understand," she said. "That is
Mr. _____________" (and she named a very well-known
and wealthy local family). "His father
owned much of the land that is now the City
of Troy -- he's the heir to millions!"

"But he looks so underprivileged!" I exclaimed.

"Yes, I know," said the waitress, "but he's
really a multimillionaire. He lives like a
pauper by choice."

I haven't seen that poor, sad man lately,
but recently I've been thinking about his situation.
Could it be that many Christians are
living like spiritual paupers when they could be
enjoying God's manifest blessings every day
of their lives? Are they settling for just a cup
of coffee when they could be feasting at the
Lord's banquet table?

As we face the future, are we anxious
about what lies ahead? Will it be a time of
happiness and blessing...or endless loneliness
and deprivation?

Change your wardrobe

The old man in the cafe was dressed in
worn, shabby clothes. Yet he could have been
wearing the finest suit from the best tailor in town.

What are you wearing? The Prophet Isaiah
said, I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul
shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed
me with the garments of salvation, he hath
covered me with the robe of righteousness, as
a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments,
and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels
(Isaiah 61:10).

Clothe yourself in the wardrobe God has
provided for you. Get dressed in His
rightousness and see what a change His garments
will make in your whole outlook on life.
You'll discover a new awareness of God as
your Sustainer and Protector. You'll stand
taller and walk in trust and confidence.

So resolve to stop dressing like the world
and get clothed in.His righteousness.

Put sadness aside

The old man in the cafe looked so sad, as
if the weight of the world was on his
shoulders. Yes, from a worldly perspective, he had
everything. He was from a prominent family,
with every possible financial advantage at his
disposal. If money could buy happiness, he
could have had it all.

Christianity is the most joyful of all the
world's religions. Yet we often manage to
make it appear the most sad and mournful by
our actions and our countenance. Mark Twain
once had his famous character, Huck Finn,
wondering if the mule in the barn had "got
religion" because of its long face!

The psalmist exults, Thou hast put
gladness in my heart. For he satisfieth the longing
soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness
(Psalm 4:7; 107:9).

I think we sometimes develop a bad habit
of letting our faces reflect the care and
confusion of the world around us instead of the joy
and peace of the Lord welling up within us.

If we have full access to God's goodness,
gladness, and blessedness, shouldn't our faces
show it?

As Christians, our future is as bright as the
promises of God. And the Word of God is
filled with wonderful promises. Some of my
favorites include Christ's promise: Lo, I am
with you alway, even unto the end of the world
(Matthew 28:20) and also God's assurance
that as thy days, so shall thy strength be
(Deuteronomy 33:25).

If we believe God, we have something to
smile about.

Be a friend

In all the times we observed the old man
in the cafe, Jack and I never saw him with
a friend...or ever being friendly with those
around him. While others had pleasant
conversations and shared personal things with
each other, the old man sat alone, without a
friend. How sad.

But while true friendship is measured by
more than "hellos" and conversations, some
people have no friends because they will let
no one get close to them.

As the writer of Proverbs observes, A man
that hath friends must show himself friendly:
and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a
brother (Proverbs 18:24).

One must be a friend to others to have
friends who will share fellowship and
companionship in return. And this is an important
part of life. But even if earthly friends do fail
in times of trouble, we can be secure in knowing
that we can have a friend who will stick
closer than a brother, in good times and bad.

We know we can count on Him because
He has said, I will never leave thee, nor
forsake thee (Hebrews 13:5).

When we have such a Friend, why don't
we rely on Him more? In the words of the
grand old gospel song, "What a Friend We
Have in Jesus,"

Eat heartily

I don't think I'll ever forget the old man in
the cafe, scrimping by on one meal a day,
when he could have had anything on the
menu, anytime he wanted it. Yet he'd order
"Just a cup of coffee, please" and ask for free
refills. How tragic to see a multimillionaire
going hungry.

But how much more tragic to have the
riches of heaven at our disposal and go
through life starving ourselves spiritually! Do
you have a Bible? Of course, you do. Are
you feasting daily on the abundant nourish-
ment found there...or do you hurriedly pull out
a single scripture card and glance at it before
you dash out into the day?

Compare your biblical diet with
Jeremiah's. He said, Thy words were found, and I
did eat them; and thy word was unto me the
joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am
called by thy name, O Lord God of hosts
(Jeremiah 15:16).

Don't settle for just a cup of coffee -- eat
heartily -- even as the Apostle Peter
admonished us to do in 1 Peter 2:2, stating: As
newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the
word, that ye may grow thereby. The psalmist
concurs, saying, O taste and see that the Lord
is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in
him (Psalm 34:8).

I heard the story of a man whose dream
was to go to America. For years he saved his
money to buy passage on a ship. Finally he
had just enough, with only a small amount left
over.

He took part of the little money he had left
and bought some bread and cheese he could
take on board. By careful rationing, he
thought there would be just enough to last
through the voyage.

So he set sail, glad to finally be going to
the "promised land." Other passengers were
festive and happy, going into the ship's dining
room to eat wonderful meals, and strolling
about the decks, laughing and having
refreshments together.

The man would go to his little cabin at
mealtime and eat stale bread and hard cheese.

But he had miscalculated the length of the
voyage, and a few days before the ship was to
arrive in New York harbor, he ran out of food.
He drank water and did without for a day or
so. Then he got so hungry he didn't think he
could last. So he scraped together all the
money he had left -- several coins -- and went to a
steward in the dining room.

"Excuse me, please," he said. "Is this
enough money to buy just a little bit to eat?
I've run out of food and I'm very hungry."
The steward said, "Sir, you do not need to
pay extra to eat in the dining room. Your
meals were paid for in the price of your
ticket."

I urge you to begin living up to your
privileges in God. Jesus Christ paid for them in the
price of your passage to heaven!

Blessing, gladness, satisfaction, goodness,
and all other spiritual pleasures are yours.
Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for
his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God
(Psalm 146:5).