Onions make our eyes water but only people bring tears to our eyes. If your computer crashes or your cell phone is lost, you don't cry. But if a relationship crashes or is lost, we cry.
King David wept bitterly when his best friend Jonathan was killed (2 Samuel 1:12). Peter wept bitterly when he denied Jesus (Mathew 26:75). Judas was so frustrated over betraying Jesus that he hung himself on a tree (Mathew 27:5). Jesus himself wept at the death of Lazarus (John 11:35).
We earn to make a living and acquire the luxuries or the necessities of life but the primary source of all happiness lies in living, loving and vibrant relationships.
There is a story of a man who returned home late after work and got irritated when his son asked "'Daddy, how much money do you earn in an hour?'
"'That's none of your business" dad replied. The child continuously repeated his question. Frustrated with the persistence of his son, he replied "I make about 1000 rupees an hour.'
The little boy asked "Well, Dad, that's big money and you are in a big job. Can I borrow 500 rupees from you?"
Retorting back in anger the father said "You nasty child, I work like a donkey everyday to keep the family going and you dare ask me silly questions about how much I earn an hour?"
Seeing his son completely hurt, the father calmed down and gave his son 500 rupees saying "This is all yours. Now get yourself something with this money"
The child said "Dad, you earn 1000 rupees an hour. Can I buy at least half hour of your time with this money? Please come home early dad and talk with me"
Tears welled up in the dad's eyes as he realised that real joy emerges only from loving relationships.
We are being swept by a wave of consumerism. Tempting discounts and special offers stare us in the face almost every day and credit cards allow us to buy more than we earn. The urge to possess is increasing so much that desire to relate is decreasing. This is the fall-out of an increasingly materialistic society. Relationships are in the doldrums.
In the story of the prodigal son in the bible, a boy who leaves his father in search of the material things in life but discovers at last that nothing in the world could replace the living and loving relationship that he enjoyed with his father.
He returns with great remorse and tears but is embraced with love once again by his father (Luke 15:11-32).
Make relationships the source of your happiness because money can't buy them.
