Eternity Focus came to lead the worship in our service. Now, I am pregnant, and am more prone to tears than usual. I am more likely to cry during a worship service while pregnant than at any other time. Knowing this, I'd fought tears a couple times during the service already, especially since I knew I only had 1.5 tissues in my purse.
Why 1.5 tissues? Because one of them had already been used to wipe the tears of my 4 year old when she got in trouble for acting up during service.
Well, one of the last songs they sang was "You Are Loved", written by Matthew S. Garinger. It was the altar call song. And all was well, until they hit the chorus:
You are loved beyond your failures
You are loved beyond your past
The hope that you’ve imagined
Is now reality at last
You are loved with no conditions
You are loved with no remorse
The scars of your forgiveness
Are engraved upon the Lord
You are loved
And then the tears started to fall. I tried to control them. After all, I only had 1.5 tissues to wipe them away with. When both tissues were saturated, they paused, opened the altar ... and started singing the song again.
Yeah. The tears really started to pour. I finally gave in, and went forward to pray. I just needed to thank God for His faithfulness, His love, and His forgiveness. I fail Him (and my family) so many times. Yet, He is ever faithful to forgive, and continues to love me, despite all my failures.
Thankfully, they had a box of tissues up there. And I needed about 5 of them. It wasn't pretty. Not at all. But I don't regret spending that time in prayer, thanking God for His great love! Even if it did kind of embarrass my daughters.
I am loved beyond my failures. I am loved beyond my past. I am loved with no conditions. I am loved with no remorse. Christ bears the scars of my forgiveness. What a blessed feeling, to know this is true! Thank you, Lord!!
And sorry, girls! It's a good thing I know that you love me, even if my tears do embarrass you at times.
Praising Him,
April E.
April E.
