There will be no more, tears in heaven

In 1991 Connor, Eric's Clapton's 5 year old son, accidently crawled through a 53rd floor apartment window and fell to his death on the streets below. Clapton arrived shortly after his son fell and for a long time his performances were deeply haunted and distracted by the tragedy.

Out of the crisis came the haunting ballad, "Tears in Heaven", which I am trying to master. It presents challenges for voice and for guitar, but it is such a rewardingly beautiful song. Sadly Clapton rarely sings the song anymore, because he has moved on and feels too detached to do the song justice.

He rightfully argues that there will be no more tears in heaven. Sadness sure can tear us apart down on the streets below and it can lead to untold sorrow. But there are still no tears in heaven.

He asks of his son, "would you know me name if I saw you in heaven?" Hmm, that is a tough one. Having only really known each other for a short while, perhaps they would not know each other, per se, but there is a chord that links families beyond physical recognition, which gives us an indescribable sense of recognition.

It is the same for our walk with Jesus. One day He may well stand in an abstract crowd in glory, the way he did on the road to Emmaus or when he first appeared to Mary and Martha. We might not recognise Him, after all, what have we to go on, in terms of physical identifiers. Yet I am convinced that we would know Him and He would know us, by virtue of the struggles we have shared and the years we have spent with each other.  He is the friend that sticks closer than a brother and our names are written in His heart.

"Time can break bring you down, time can bend your knees, time can break your heart, have you begging please." I agree, life does that to all of us. It is full of such sorrows and pleas for mercy, but God does hear our cries and draws near to us in times of pain. Jesus swore to never leave or forsake us. This life may not feel like heaven, but when we get there, He will wipe away all our tears ... there will be no regrets, no tears in heaven. His wounds forever link us to Him, the way a woman's birth pangs link her to her children.

(c) Peter Eleazar @ http://www.4u2live.net/