tears

I keep thinking about the Christmas presents. All of the toys and books and clothes, chosen with care and love. Only now, there is no one to give them to. No eager hands to tear off the paper and gush over the gift. Now, they just sit there; a reminder of the loss along with the stocking hanging from the mantel with their name written in glitter or stitched into the fabric. The empty bed. The empty place at the table. The grief must be staggering.
I want to stop reading the reports. After all, there isn't really anything that I can do. It would be easy to pass by the headlines and wall off my little corner of the world and continue getting ready for Christmas. To say how awful it all was and then move on.
But I don't want to take the easy way out. I want to grieve for these families that I will never meet because it is the one thing that I can do. I can have compassion and I can pray for them even as I struggle to understand why it happened. My tears will not ease their pain, but every time I cry for them, I gain more compassion and love and move closer towards becoming someone who reflects the face of Jesus. And if there is one thing that this world needs, it is more Jesus.

photo from:  mosaicdurham.com