During a recent dinner conversation about what we were currently reading, a friend asked an intriguing question: Why do you read books that make you cry? At the time I failed to articulate my reasoning, but I continued considering what an appropriate reply would be. In reality, the majority of my fictional selections lean towards suspense—espionage and solving crimes—not many tears are shed; however, on occasion, especially when an author is recommended, I’ll broaden my reading selections to even include some romance. The reality is that I relish a well-told story—romance, western, or even biographical—because a talented storyteller evokes emotion and sometimes we may cry for no reason because “the place where the tears come from is full again.”
If you are familiar with Charles Martin, you are aware that he is a gifted storyteller. The man can write! And when he writes a love story, you begin to wonder where in the world did he witness this kind of sacrificial, agape love, to be able to write about it. In Send Down the Rain, Martin explains the sacrifice of a soldier in Vietnam, “He stole a bird, crash-landed into hell and lifted me out…What would cause a man to do that? I shook my head. ‘This may not make much sense to all of you, but as I was standing in that place, covered up in heat, bugs, bullets, and bayonets, I knew that the ground I was standing on and everything around me was flat-out evil. But when I heard those rotors whipping through the air, I knew that whatever was in that bird could not be evil.’” One soldier sacrificing his life to save another. My heart cries out for those who suffered the horrors of combat and Martin brings those tears to the surface because “the place where the tears come from is full again.”
But what amazes me most about Martin’s brilliance is that he has the ability to share a magnificent story in a variety of ways, but they all point to one thing—some might call it his muse. He captures our hearts and minds with stories of love and all the while is unveiling the greatest story ever told, the story of Jesus and the true source of love. Martin is able to tell the story of Jesus’ love sacrifice in a way that speaks so clearly in a modern context. When you read about a man laying down a cashier’s check to pay the large debt of another’s business and the invoice is stamped “Paid in Full,” you are hearing the story of Jesus. When you read of the love that can exist between husband and wife, Martin is pointing you to Jesus. When you read about a team combating the evil of human trafficking, he’s pointing you to the sacrificial love of Jesus. To know your debt was Paid in Full means “the place where the tears come from is full again” and you weep.
Although I’m saddened that the words of a novel can sometimes evoke more emotion than when reading Scripture, I’m also grateful. Grateful that Jesus made a sacrificial choice to stamp my invoice Paid in Full, but also grateful that God gave authors like Martin the talent to tell a story that reflects back to the greatest story ever told. When you see love walked out and stories where a debt is Paid in Full without expectation of anything in return, your emotions are stirred, so you weep. That is my answer for my friend’s question about reading a book that makes you cry—because sometimes “the place where the tears come from is full again” because you are fully aware that someone took your sin, your faults, your failures, and marked the debt Paid in Full. And that deep, heartfelt awareness has my eyes full of tears even as I try to express myself here.
I pray that you know beyond a shadow of doubt that your debt can be marked Paid in Full, if you do not know that, read Scripture to learn that amazing story, and then pick up a Charles Martin book like Send the Rain to make that point even clearer.
Reference:
Flourishing @ Life 