The morning after we had found out that I had cancer, my wife and were riding into school and we were talking about how we would tell our students (as well as anyone who we love). Tears filled our eyes because the Lord had softened our hearts (Lynda has always had a tender heart towards the Lord, but I on the other hand must confess, do not find my heart nearly as tender as on this day.) At that moment I said to her, “Oh Lynda, I would rather live one day like this – with a heart broken and tender before the Lord, then a lifetime of heart hard like flint (as the Bible sometimes says).
Jesus is our dearest example of heart that was tender – Just look at John 11:35 (thank you Richard for this reminder today) or Mat. 9:36, Luke 13:34, etc. But the Lord always gives us plenty of image bearers of Himself here on earth. One dear brother in the Lord (Bill) stands out in my mind and I must confess, I say, “Oh Lord how I wish I had a tender heart like Bill.“ He is so touched by what God had and is doing and he can communicate it all with tears streaming from his eyes. This is a heart tender and broken before God. When I contemplate on this, God’s word rings in my heart – “The sacrifices of God [are] a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.” Ps. 51:17
Our hearts have been tender, be sure of this. But as I tell the students at school, “When you see tears in my eyes (and when that happens to me, no words come out of my mouth – Lynda can weep and speak, but I can’t) please do not think that these our tears of doubt or fear of anything here on earth. No, these tears are tears of heart that is just being made tender before Lord.”
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