John 11:35

I always feel the need to fully disclose my imperfect and sinful nature before writing about sacred and holy subject matters. I am painfully aware of my faults and shortcomings. I am a broken by my sins, but there is a Great Healer, capable of piecing me together. The glorious reality of the Gospel is that Jesus Christ was born, He lived a perfect life, and died for each of us.

Let it also be known I am not a scriptorium nor a theologian. My knowledge of the scriptures pales in comparison to experts. I am simply a woman with a burning conviction of the reality of Jesus Christ, His divinely appointed mission and His beautiful promises. I share this message with love, never to condemn.

I recently discovered Nikki Yaste, a former drug-using exotic dancer turned Christian. Her story is remarkable and inspiring. Today on her Facebook page, she wrote the following:

God is many things. A God of Righteousness. A God of order. A God of peace and love. But "tender mercies" tells us that He's a God of feelings. Actively possessing the emotion to feel what we feel and He has the power to do something about it. He throws out a lifeline to ALL who believe in His name and believes in His Son. And the beautiful thing is His tender mercies are new every morning.

The scriptures are full of accounts of Christ displaying emotion. Jesus felt compassion, he was angry, indignant, troubled, greatly distressed, sorrowful, depressed, deeply moved and full of grief. He experienced agony, surprise, amazement, joy and He loved deeply.

I absolutely love the narrative in John 11. A frantic Martha (and later Mary) greeted Jesus, their beloved Friend, full of sorrow and disappointment that He had not come sooner to save their brother Lazarus who had died. Jesus listened patiently to the sisters as they grieved, but more interesting is verse 35: "Jesus wept".

Here before them was the Son of God, the One promised from the beginning of time who would come and Redeem mankind, weeping. He probably knew He would soon raise Lazarus from the dead, but He didn't interrupt them as they expressed their grief. Instead, He listened patiently and was filled with such compassion that He also was overcome with the intensity of His own feelings. He felt their heartache and anguish. He was moved by their tears and broken hearts. In fact, so great was His compassion and love for them that He wept. He didn't just get teary eyed, or shed a few tears, the scriptures explicitly state that he wept.

Such a thought moves me to tears! The God who created the heavens and Earth is a God of feelings. He isn't void of emotions, but filled with compassion. He loves us deeply and perfectly. Just as with Mary and Martha, He takes the time and allows Himself to feel and experience depths of grief alongside us.