A God Who Knows Human Emotion

  The morning dawned just like any morning. The children woke up a little  later than usual, after our exciting evening of meteor watching the night  before, but that was okay. I had decided to take the morning off from school  anyway so I could get some baking done for a party on Saturday, and the children  had not given me any guff about the grand idea. It was not until 1:00 when I  heard about the news. It was shocking and heart wrenching. Tears quickly sprang  to my eyes as I read what had happened only a short fifty minutes away from my  house. I gathered the children together and we prayed for those poor families,  for the school staff, and for all those who were involved in the horrific  tragedy. A numb feeling came over me and no matter how much I did not want to  think about it, I could not stop. It was everywhere I looked. Everytime I saw my children I was reminded of those who may never see their children again. Any  ideas of wanting to quit homeschooling suddenly vanished. I was immediately  content to keep on plugging on, no matter the challenges that came our way, because I knew where my children were and had them close by my side. 
      Here it is exactly one week later and though the healing has started, there is going to months, possibly even years worth of prayers for those involved in the sad events from last Friday. As I listened to the wild winds raging outside this morning, and heard the rain drops pounding the window behind my bed, I could not help but wonder if it was God sending His tear drops down to His creation below. I know the verse that says, "There will be no more tears in heaven," but that is a promise to us, that we will no longer have sadness when we reach heaven's gates. We will not have a need to weep or shed tears anymore because we will be in paradise with our Lord. Yet, does that mean God does not, or cannot cry? How His heart must break over the foolish choices we make on this earth. To my fragile, earthly mind, I cannot help but think that God must cry as He watches us hurting each other, desiring that all would turn to Him in every situation in life.
     Two thousand years ago, God sent His only Son down as a baby, to be born into the world of human beings, something He had created from the very dust of the earth, which in turn had been formed by His word. Baby Jesus was part God and part human. The God part He had down pat, yet, it was the human side that God wanted His Son to learn about. With careful consideration, He chose Mary and Joseph to rear the God-child, because He knew their hearts. There must have been something special about them that God knew they could show His Son, Jesus, because Jesus needed to learn the way of human emotions and how to interact with others around them. God was (and is!) complete love. He radiated that love everywhere He went. His eyes spoke volumes to those around Him.
     I cannot help but think of Jesus as a little boy, running and playing with His friends. He was sinless, so He must have always obeyed His parents when they called Him home, and gave His friends first choice of the game they played, but I am sure there were times when He fell down on the rough gravel and scraped His knee. I can see Him running home to His mother, crying from the pain and blood He saw dripping down His leg. He had to learn firsthand of the love from an earthly mother, who tenderly cleaned up His wounds with her gentle touch.
     When Jesus remained behind at the temple, and Joseph and Mary franctically searched for three days to find Him, He learned of the care and concern that earthly parents have for their children, and how much they loved Him and wanted Him to be safe. There is little said about those 33 years that Jesus spent on the earth, watching, learning, and biding His time for when His ministry on earth would begin. I think He was using that time to learn about the very people He had created. He learned how they thought and handled situations that came their way. He watched how they cared for their families; how they interacted together; how they had fun together; laughed together; cried together.  I believe He experienced every kind of emotion that people ever feel in their lives. It says in Hebrews 4:15, "For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our  infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin."
     It is comforting to me to know that God knows exactly what we are feeling. He knows our pain, our heartaches, and our tears. He also knows how to reach out and touch our hurting hearts and fill them with peace and comfort. As the saying goes, God can calm the storm that is raging around you, but sometimes He chooses to let it rage and just calm your heart in the midst of the storm. As I listen to the wind outside, I see He is choosing to let it continue blowing, but the peace in my heart gives me a warm feeling  inside. I usually hate the wind. After the last two hurricanes that blew through here, I tend to get a little panicky when I hear the wind, but God is still in control. I have seen Him take care of us through those storms, and trust He will continue to watch over my family.
     In closing, I want to quote the words to a song I heard as a little girl. God truly is a God of love:
If That Isn't Love

He left the splendor of heaven,
Knowing His destiny,
Was the lonely hill of Golgatha,
Where He laid down His life for me.

If that isn't love,
The ocean is dry,
There's no stars in the sky,
And the sparrow can't fly.
If that isn't love,
Then heaven's a myth,
There's no feeling like this,
If that isn't love.

Even in death He remembered,
The thief hanging by His side,
He spoke with love and compassion,
And He took him to paradise. 

If that isn't love,
The ocean is dry,
There's no stars in the sky,
And the sparrow can't fly.
If that isn't love,
Then heaven's a myth,
There's no feeling like this,
If that isn't love.

May the God of all comforts fill your heart with peace this morning.

Psa 32:7 "Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt
compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah."
"...what time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee."