Tears Fall Down

She's in third grade, and I sat on the end of the pew so I could look into her face while we talked about her new purse, and the water bottle she'd clipped to her belt loop, and the lipstick she was wearing that her mother didn't know about. Yet.

We talked about my bracelet and I noticed how long her hair had grown since the last time I saw her. "How's school going?" I asked.

"Better," she said.

"Better?" I asked. "Tell me about it."

She told me the story most of us girls could pull from the back pocket of our Jordache jeans, or pour from the water bottle clipped to our belt loop. The story about how the girl who used to be our best friend for life suddenly didn't want to be friends anymore. Wouldn't even look in our direction, and when she turned her back and whispered in the other girl's ear and giggled with her head thrown back, we knew the laughter was all about us. In third grade, stuff like that trumps any concerns about acing the math test or knowing the difference between a noun and a verb.

"It made my heart hurt and my tears fall down," she said. She looked down at the bows on the tips of her shoes and I tried not to let my own tears fall down, because her words described it exactly the way we've all felt it.

"It makes my heart hurt, too," I said.

"But a girl in my class," she answered, "a different girl. She saw my heart hurting and my tears falling down and she came over to me."

"She saw your heart hurting?" I asked.

"Yes. She could see it. And it's better." I thought I would come undone right there on the end of the pew.

I thought about you, and the ways you see so well and make hurting hearts better just by seeing. I thought about the way God is using the internet to build community, and the way He uses community to heal us and put us back together and make us stronger and better. I thought about us - all over the world - meeting up in real life and I could hardly keep my tears from falling down.

And I know your own stories of hurts gone unseen for far too many years could keep you from joining in, but I wanted to just whisper this invitation to you. The invitation to community - in real life. It's a chance to meet up with women, right in your own ZIP code. Women who know about Jordache jeans and water bottles and dreams that don't come true, or come unraveled at the seams. Women who see hearts that hurt and tears falling down. Women who know about chocolate and laughter and tea and coffee. Women who know about babies who won't sleep at night, and adult children who can't seem to find their way. Women just like you. Building community. In real life. Watch the video first, and then - for more information - click here. Or, visit Heather, who wrote about (in)RL last Friday, or Kristen, who will write about it tomorrow.

And in the comments? Well, in the comments, ask whatever questions you may have about (in)RL, or tell me where your heart hurts. I'd love to pray with you.

To register for (in)RL, click the button at the top of the page.

~~~

With Michelle...