Tears

There are lots of things that can occasionally make me cry, mostly depending on the day, how much sleep I had the previous night, and other circumstances like that. However, there are very few things that I can think of that almost always cause me to tear up, and I think that most of those things fit into two categories:

1. Heaven/Eternity
I don't think that I've had any one really close to me die, so at the funerals I've gone to, I find that I am only partly weeping because of how that person will be missed. More, though, at least at the funerals of Christians, I weep for the joy of the hope of seeing them again, for the joy they have right now in the presence of the Lord, and for the example their lives have been. It may seem backwards, but I think the reason that I am weeping in light of all that joy is that there is still sorrow mixed in. There is good to come, but this is not the way its supposed to be right now. Then, when I think of how all will be made right, the sorrow and joy just overflow into tears.
Here are some other things in this vein that generally make me cry:
-The Last Battle by C. S. Lewis. Again, ironically, the battle doesn't really make me cry. It's what's beyond the door of the stable that gets me.
-Some songs about heaven.
-Various missionary stories or stories of martyrs such as Through Gates of Splendor by Elisabeth Elliot. Yeah, even thinking about the title of that one makes my eyes mist a little.

Which brings me to the second category of things that make me cry (they overlap a bit).

2. Missions (especially if children are involved)
Every year my church has a missions conference, and every year during that time we have the flag ceremony where various people carry the flags of the countries they represent. It's hard to explain why its so moving, but it is. I think it's partly the thought of the completion of all things (see reason #1) -- the thought of every tribe, tongue, and nation singing together to the glory of God. Add to that thought the visual representation of all these people of different nationalities carrying their flags and the sound of the whole church singing and praising God. It's like a little taste of heaven. Which is perhaps why it makes me cry.
Again, other related things that bring tears to my eyes:
-It's corny, but the Operation Christmas Child videos make me cry.
-Missions songs, especially when accompanied by pictures, especially when the pictures are of children.

Perhaps the emotion here is more poignant because the tears shed for these reasons are less selfish than those shed when I'm upset for myself?

I suppose in reality these two groups could be put into one. For both I feel a sorrow that the world is not as it should be, but for both I also feel a hope that this is not the way things will always be. It's like a minor chord which is achingly beautiful (and makes you glad because of it's beauty), but equally sorrowful. Somehow it reminds you that the curse is still in effect but it will not always be so.

This last Sunday night we had a concert with a bunch of songs about heaven, and that's what started me on this topic. I think I am expressing myself badly, but I wanted to at least write it out and perhaps someday I'll be able to explain my thoughts in this area better.