It hurts. Some things are so wonderful that I can hardly stand to see them or think about them. Some things are too painful for expression. A dear friend once asked me, "Oh, Jan, why do we have to have these emotions anyway?" This was after we were just in the middle of a good cry together. Did you notice I said "good" cry? I reminded her, she of the tender heart, that she would not be herself if she couldn't care so deeply about so many things, if she couldn't love the way she loves. Yes, it is true that unbridled emotions lead to trouble for so many people. I wish it wasn't so. Yet, to see a dew-tipped rose bud, a baby's smile, a sunset or rainbow or starry sky bring such pleasure that we could not deny ourselves the ability to notice them. A dear one with cancer, a loved one who dies too soon, a picture of a starving child or an abused animal are painful to see and experience, but we would not be fully human if we were not moved by such happenings. Yesterday on a trip into town, I noticed houses. Have you ever noticed the variety of homes in most cities? Who lives in all these places? A beautifully painted stately 19th century home with a manicured lawn, or a run-down rental unit with one flower in one pot on a step--what do they say about the people who live there? Farther than my curiosity could even take me, I did realize, God loves all of those people. Shouldn't I also? A popular Christian song has the words, "Give me a heart like yours." Am I, are you, brave enough to ask for that?
See the sky and hills!
In Quiet Moments Here
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