JESUS WEPT. John 11:35
I want to start this blog off on a positive note. Life is an incredible blessing, and daily I am very thankful to God for the beauty and blessing of life. However, it has been a very hard season of life for me, these past 3+ years, dealing with health issues of my precious son, relocation obstacles, and soooo many challenges, struggles, and hardships in so many areas of life, but I still have yet to have had a bad day… NEVER have I had a bad day. I am thanking and praising God for the gift of life every day, no matter what comes my way.
A prime example of challenges and struggles… less than an hour ago, my dear boy was laying on my chest being all sweet and cuddly when he was suddenly hit by some explosive diarrhea! Needless to say, I was covered in it, as was the couch, my baby boy, and some spots on the floor as we raced to the bathroom to get into the shower together! With my wife’s help, we have finally resolved the challenges… baby clean, hubby clean, couch mostly clean… will need a thorough washing for a couple of the seat cushions, and the floor is clean now as well. As I showered, I thought about my need to write for the ministry, leaving blogs and engagements for our prayer and financial supporters to be able to engage with, and I thought enough is enough… now it’s time to talk!
I have been hit, in the last couple of years, with a quite intense writer’s block. Each time I have tried to sit down and engage with supporters of Abogar through blog posts or reports, I have been choked up and blocked in my writing because of heavy pressing thoughts and concerns for my dear son. I feel as though if I can’t help him, how can I think I could help anyone else, but the reality is that his (and many other peoples) challenges and struggles are outside my realm of ability to heal or fix. To be honest though, it even goes quite beyond a writer’s block, to the extent of being anxiety… I’ve become very anxious in life, much to my own shagrin. I am regularly chased by fears for my son, my wife, and the needs with which we find ourselves faced on a daily basis. This is a confession and petition for prayer!
However, I also have found that God’s call and hand upon my life has not lessened one iota! I still am called to be a bearer of the love and light of Jesus wherever I may walk or journey (though I recognize how much I fail in this endeavor). I also am still called to be an advocate, intercessor, and chief beggar and servant for precious children and families of Latin America! I also have been faithfully accompanied by God’s precious presence of the Holy Spirit, as I feebly attempt to be all that God is inviting me to be and to live into. Children and families still need advocates, intercessors, and people who will plead on their behalf for justice and a better way of life!
I’ve been contemplating the life of Jesus, as He incurred way more challenges than I could ever imagine, and I am trying to let His life and model impact my own. As I have been prayerfully pressing in and considering His life, I find myself a bit surprised by what has been hitting me the most, as it is not what I would necessarily think the Lord would lead me to… John 11:35… Jesus wept. With all the challenges, and mounting pressures, swirling around Him, Jesus was present in a moment to see His loved ones hurting, and He paused to hurt with them! He entered in, and I believe He calls us to enter in. Weep with those who are weeping, and rejoice with those who are rejoicing!
Tonight I watched my baby start to weep as his body ejected some waste unexpectedly, and I wept with him. My wife has been hard pressed to a very different life than she envisioned and dreamed of, as she has to be quite present with Jedidiah much of the time, as I work and care for our home and necessities. I weep with her as she mourns some of the dreams that she had that may have been lost and may never become a reality. I weep with, and for, myself, as many of my hopes and dreams as a father have seemed to been shattered and destroyed, and as I feel helpless (and sometimes even hopeless) as I watch my son and wife in their struggles and pain. But I am not just weeping for myself and my family. There is so much hurt in the world around us… church friends, family members, other friends, children, etc.
Jesus saw His loved ones hurting and He hurt with them. My heart breaks for my family, for my friends, and others I know who are struggling. I weep also for children throughout Latin America and around the world who have not yet experienced God’s great love, nor the genuine love of family and belonging. I know God’s heart breaks for them as well, and longs for us to be evermore committed to fighting for children to have lifelong families and lifelong homes. So, if this is Jesus’ heart, and you are a follower of Him, is this your heart too? I believe that Jesus invites us to weep with those who are weeping, and I must be honest, my eyes are moist as I write this blog! Will you weep with me? Weep for the hurting, the broken, the abandoned, the lost, the distraught, the orphaned, those who feel unlovable, those who feel alone? I believe that Jesus invites you and me to weep with our brothers and sisters! I hope though, that we don’t stop with the sentimental and not move forward to action. May we truly provide where and how we can provide, be present wherever God invites us, and advocate and intercede for the orphaned, widowed, downtrodden, sick, and/or oppressed. May our tears lead us to take action. May we not be about empty words or temporary feeling and sentiment, but rather moved to action to live out the love and light of Jesus in every opportunity we are granted! Weep with me… and let’s also live out the love of Jesus in real and tangible ways to help those in need!
