It's not our goal to avoid tears, because Jesus will wipe them away

"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 21:4

We, followers of Jesus, spend far too much time trying to avoid ever having to shed any tears, feel any pain, get too near to any mourning. We don't want to be vulnerable, we don't want to be defeated, we don't want to be broken and needing to be re-made. But there's no need. Jesus will comfort those who need to be comforted, with the comfort that only he can bring. So why should we fear being vulnerable, and getting into the situations, for his sake, where we end up experiencing the death that is in this world because of sin, and crying many tears?

Surely there will be some who stand before him on the last day, and he has to say to them "Every time that I invited you to join me, the Man of Sorrows, in my tears, you said 'no'. And thereby you witnessed plainly to the world that you were not one of mine. You had no tears, and I have no ministry towards you to wipe any away. Now go aware from me, you who would never weep over sin, over this broken fallen world, over what you faced for my sake - go into the place where there is weeping for evermore, and nobody to comfort."

Would you be one of those? Or one of those whose tears the Son of God himself wipes away, when he makes all things new?

20 years today

Devizes, Wiltshire, 8.22 a.m. Friday April 10th, 1998. Here goes!

Westminster Bridge, London, 7.14 a.m. Saturday April 11th. We've done it, we've done it!

Twenty years ago today. I still thank God for the memories and things learned through that amazing day/night. There's still been nothing like the remotest chance of repeating it, and I still count the cause of that - serving Jesus Christ, and all the responsibilities and blessings (hello family!) it's brought that have taken me away from many things I'd have chosen to do if my life was my own - as infinitely worth it!

Arnauld Beltrame was a disciple of Christ

The French policeman who gave his life to save a hostage in recent weeks
- Arnaud Beltrame - had recently come to Christ. I hadn't learnt that
from the previous coverage I'd read.
http://hitchensblog.mailonsunday.co.uk/2018/03/peter-hitchens-why-did-french-hero-arnaud-bertrame-give-his-life-to-save-others-christianity.html