Encouragement

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Many people have been touched by poem “Footprints in the Sand”. What we see is a record of two sets of footprints except for the most difficult times there were only one set of footprints “it was then that I (God) carried you.” The sentiment has resonated through many lives and their experiences.

Instead of the journey being on a beach in sand, I believe our journey through life is like walking through snow. Everywhere we go we leave an indelible mark where we have been. Sometimes life is like powder snow. This is pure joy. The pristine pureness and softness undertow - a sheer delight! At other times the snow becomes slushy and muddy - where we puddle through with great effort and frustration. And in the extreme moments of our lives, great shards of ice, creates what seems to be an impossible terrain to cross. At times we skid and injure ourselves - feeling fragile and broken. In the peaks we have mountaintop experiences…and in the troughs we have fiords that are flooded.

But one thing with snow, like God’s grace it is new every morning. The footsteps of yesterday are gone and covered in a fresh blanket of new, fresh powder snow. I like to think of these snowflakes being like God’s tears - or soul kisses from heaven. Each snowflake is individual to our individual experiences and needs. I don’t think it’s any coincidence that the shortest verse in the Bible is actually “Jesus wept”. It simply encapsulates the heart of God. There is no evidence here of a stiff upper lip, nor of a purely logical response to His experience.

In His life and in His death, Jesus embodied love. The tears he shed welled up in His eyes. His eyes moved with compassion at Zacheus in a tree…His eyes moved with compassion to the experience of the woman who was caught in adultery…His eyes welled as Peter denied Him…and His eyes fell on His mother when He was on the cross where truth and love were demonstrated in equal measure.

I believe that God’s eyes often well up with tears of joy and tears of sorrow. The tears are the wellspring of His infinite mercy and everlasting love.

I often think of God’s eyes winking at me. When my father was alive he would smile at me and give me a cheeky wink. Suddenly I felt that everything was OK…that I was loved…that I belonged…and that I was OK. This gave me a sense of joy and peace. Now that he is gone, I can still see him in my mind’s eye. How much more must God’s love be for me?

We are told that there will be no more tears in heaven when we are all united with God in heaven. I believe that the sea of glass is in fact a memorial to all the tears of joy and sorrow that God in His compassion has shown to us... A reflection of His love embodied by water.

If our eyes are the window to the soul, then when we look at others, do we wink or squint? Do we use our eyes to shame someone’s face or reflect His Grace? Do our eyes reflect His Face?

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