My Tears

And now this word to all of you: You should be like one big happy family, full of sympathy toward each other, loving one another with tender hearts and humble minds.  1 Peter 3:8 TLB

Later this morning, we will be taking some good friends to the airport.  My heart swelled with emotion when they arrived last week, and I have little doubt that it will do so again when we say goodbye.  We've had a wonderful time together, our days filled with ministry, laughter, fellowship, and sharing.  It's been a real gift from God.

But it won't be the first time I've cried in the last few weeks.  I've heard stories of beautiful blind children who were abandoned in the bush and found by Salvationists.  An orphan came to my office just to thank The Salvation Army for his new shoes and school supplies.  Standing tall, he promised to make us proud.  I found it impossible to hold back tears when a mother begged us to take her gravely ill baby into our care.  And my heart broke when I learned of one young person who died due to the lack of basic medical care.  It would have been so easy to save him.

In fact, truth be told, I have a reason to weep almost every day.

Students at one of The Salvation Army's
schools for the deaf

Of course, my tears are often those of gratitude and joy.  I become emotional when I stand on the reviewing platform and watch thousands of Salvationists march into a morning meeting, their uniforms immaculate, their faces aglow, and their right arms raised in a smart salute.  I shed a tear when I see a man who struggles to feed his family proudly place a bag of maize on the altar as his Harvest Festival offering.  And knowing how threatened wildlife is in Kenya, I even become emotional when I see a giraffe walking majestically across the landscape.  All it takes is a simple story, a sight, a sound, a taste, or even a scent to trigger something deep within me, and I just have to respond. 

 

 

 

 Before I came to Kenya, I was often embarrassed by my tears.  But no more.  I have learned to understand them as proof that God is keeping my heart soft, receptive to His Spirit and to His people.  Victor Hugo put it into perspective when he wrote: 

 

Those who do not weep, do not see.

Victor Hugo, Les Misérables   

 

So I don't want a heart that is callous and unfeeling.  I want a tender heart.  I want a heart that sees, hears, and feels the pain of others.  Because it's only when my heart responds that God is able to use me.  It's only then that I begin to grasp how much there is yet for me to accomplish, and how loving and good He truly is.

 

Real Life Heroes

God has given each of you some special abilities;
be sure to use them to help each other,
passing on to others God’s many kinds of blessings.
 1 Peter 4:10 TLB





For several weeks now, news reports have been filled with stories of unrest and violence in Kenya.  Since the tragedy at Westgate, there have been riots, killings, and one Salvation Army corps was burned in Mombasa.  The majority of trouble has been in the eastern part of the country, but we are also seeing signs of fear in our own little community.  Today, for example, we were surprised to see extra security barriers outside our local market, and an officer advised me to go in and get out quickly to avoid the crowd. 

 

Our Army family is even taking precautions.  The police watch over our compound every night.   And last Sunday, the leaders of the Mbale Division hired armed guards for the Divisional gathering in which we participated.  There's very little chance of an attack in Kakamega, of course, but everyone does seem to be a bit on edge. 

 

In response to all this, I have decided not to read any more news reports.  Instead, I've decided to focus on the heroes.  Like the four-year old American girl who was saved by a Muslim during the Westgate massacre, and the British Royal Marine who saved over 100 lives by constantly running back inside the mall to bring out more frightened people.  I'm focusing on the heroes because I've always believed that, for every person willing to commit some evil act, there are millions of others who will perform an act of love. 

 

As I worshipped in Mbale this last Sunday, I saw heroes all around me.  The aged soldier who proudly marched with the Army flag for miles, anxious that he be at the meeting on time.  The officer who knelt and washed my shoes after I had walked through the mud, the house mother who spends her days caring for severely handicapped children, the cadets who live in the tool shed just so they can one day become ministers of the gospel.  They're all heroes.

Cooks preparing meals for over 300 students at our Mitoto School for the Blind

And I can't forget my personal heroes on the other side of the world, like those at the Clearwater, Florida Corps and in the Florida Division who made our new generator possible, the heroes in the four USA territories that have pledged funds for our new Training College, and all the donors and prayer warriors who give of themselves, their time and their resources just so we can keep advancing the gospel in Kenya.

It's quiet humbling, really, but I guess that's why we should call them heroes.  They don't have capes or leap over tall buildings in a single bound.  They don't stop bullets with their bare hands.  They don't have special powers.  They're just ordinary people who, despite the difficulties and challenges they face in their own lives, do what they can to make things a little better for someone else.

 

And the most amazing thing is, with faith in God, anyone can be a hero.  So Lord, I want to be one.

 

"We can be in our day what the heroes of faith were in their day

- but remember, at the time they didn't know they were heroes."

 A.W. Tozer