He Began to Cry

“...He began to cry.” Luke 19:41

When Jesus drew near to Jerusalem, He began to cry. Seeing a grown man cry, it is heartbreaking. Sometimes my father cries when he thinks of my mom who passed away in February 2014. I can’t bear to see my him cry. He never cried when I was young, but now that he is 92, he cries about the past. 

Jesus cried because of what he saw in Jerusalem’s future. He lamented, “If this day you only knew what makes for peace- but now it is too late, peace is hidden from your eyes...because you did not recognize the time of your visitation. You have rejected the opportunity God offered you.” 

How about us? Perhaps there are things we regret about our past. Maybe there are unresolved issues, people we have not forgiven or reconciled with. Let us not carry our burdens into the future. Let us take the opportunities God offers us today to be free, unencumbered, victorious. God shows us the way of peace, but we are sometimes too proud to see it. 

Lord, help me to choose Your way, the way of peace and love, compassion and understanding. May we have the grace to recognize and be grateful for all the opportunities You give us each day to be a blessing to others. Show us the way.