An article written by my father, the Rev. C. Thomas Paige, as it appeared in the Tri-State Defender on the date shown.
Now let us take another look at this matter of “Facing up to Life.” I wonder if when the Master said “Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted,” he had in mind those people who were willing to become indignant over the conditions of their day that they were moved to tears.
I feel that there are some things that are going on that should move us as Christians to tears. I believe that we should become so concerned over some things that we should wake up some nights and early some mornings with our pillows wet with tears.
To me, tears play an important part in the life of an individual. I feel that there should be something or someone in the life of each individual that should and does move him to tears.
ANGER UNTO TEARS
Some years ago, I studied under a teacher who made a great impression on me. He seemed to have had something to offer that was over and above the ordinary stint of just teaching subject matter. He believed that character-building was, too, a part of his teaching program. One thing that he often said: “If you can’t make a man mad, you can’t make him do very much!” I believe that he was saying to all of us who sat under his hearing that there should be a point in each of our lives where we become indignant — sometimes to the point of shedding a few tears.
Conditions should be of such nature that we find ourselves crying over them. Not because our daughter or our son is involved but because a son or daughter is involved. I know the current trend of our emotional behavior: we shed a great many tears if our son or our daughter is involved in an unfortunate situation, but when it comes to the same thing happening to someone else’s daughter, we have a different outlook altogether. Jesus said blessed is the man who is moved by conditions to a point of tears because one day, the situation that brought forth the tears will be moved.
I don’t feel that we should become a nation or race or group of people who do nothing but cry, but I do feel that a few tears now and then will do much to remedy the situation.
One of the greatest men ever to live goes down in Jewish history as the “Weeping” prophet. Jeremiah walked about the streets of Israel with his face stained with tears and those who looked upon that tear-stained face felt a sense of guilt and were forced to leave their sinful ways and strive to live better and nobler lives. Tears can do much to melt cold hearts, tears can do much to make people think in terms of a hereafter and a judgement day, and tears can do much to make prodigal sons and daughters cry out, “Father, I have sinned!”
NEED TO MOURN
If mothers today knew what shedding a few tears could mean to a wayward son or daughter, if fathers knew what a few tears shed around a family table in prayer, if somewhere down the line a praying son or daughter could cry sometimes in the presence of a delinquent mother or father, this would would be a better place overnight.
Somewhere in the darkness of life’s conditions, we need to hear someone mourning. Somewhere when there seems to be no apparent way out of life’s conditions, there needs to be a meaningful wail that will chill the heart of every sinner. Life can’t keep going on with all of us enjoying the things we are now enjoying. Someone needs to go down to the wailing wall and there cry until those who have seen them cry will be moved to live a better life.
Yes, if we are going to face up to life, we are going to have to shed a few tears. Life is so designed that we have to shed a few tears every now and then. We must be ever mindful that there will be something realized and that somewhere down the dusty highway of life, you will look up and see a fruition of your tears.
You will see the blind with sight, the lame leaping for joy, and the broken hearts of thousands rejoicing because you dared to shed a few tears.
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 