Better Than a Hallelujah

Have you ever heard the song by Amy Grant, "Better Than A Hallelujah"? Some of the lyrics go like this:God loves the drunkard's cry,The soldier's plea not to let him die,Better than a Hallelujah sometimes.The tears of shame for what's been done,The silence when the words won't come,Are better than a Hallelujah sometimes.The honest cries of breaking hearts,Are better than a Hallelujah,Better than a church bell ringing,Better than a choir singing out. If you have never heard that song you may want to listen to it after reading this blog; you can watch the video on YouTube. 


I went with a friend to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting last night to get a better insight to the world of alcoholism. This young man spoke from his heart as he shared with the group what years of alcoholism had done to him. He was so humble and I am sure he encouraged many people, who like himself, have struggled to stay away from alcohol. This young man had to do a lot of group work along with going through the steps with a mentor; which ultimately helped him to stay sober. He had to do a lot of soul searching  in order to learn how  to deal with hurts in his heart, and by facing those hurts rather then covering them up. You could tell that an all out effort was put forth for his complete recovery, not just on his part, but with the help from his 2 mentors, and  I am sure the AA group was an encouragement as well. I sat there listening with the biggest lump in my throat as he went into details about his home life, his years of crime and later his prison life. I am sure he is glad to be on the other side of the fence (literally). The young man that stood before us speaking was a different person then he was years prior. He had learned from his mistakes, was willing to turn his life around, and now helps others.  I had been to church earlier that day; this was just as moving on a different level. Many people were present at this meeting and I am sure their stories were very similar. I seen several people shaking their heads as if they were  able to relate to what was being said. I noticed early on how supportive this group was, you could sense everyone's willingness to cheer each other on to victory. 


When I think about God and what gets his attention, I am convinced that it is a person's heart. I have been around very judgmental people in the past, and I have personally watched as they would pass judgement on others and never once consider what that person had been through. The saying goes like this: " Don't judge a man unless you have walked a mile in their shoes. " I am not sure who gets the credit for that quote, but it is a good one. You don't know where a person has been or what they have been through. I believe that is why God tells us not to judge or we will be judged (Matthew 7:1). The young man from the meeting may be closer to God then the most, looked-up- to person, in church. The heart is the focus. Jesus was covering the area of adultery and he said that if a man lust after another woman then he as already committed adultery with her in his heart. Matthew 5:28. 



Your secret thoughts and motives may be hidden from man, but they are not hidden from God. You can look one way on the outside and be another way on the inside. Just as this young man had hidden things of the heart to address before he could experience freedom, so too, do we all have areas within our hearts,that need to be worked on. This is enough to keep  our eyes  very busy, too busy to be looking for specks in other peoples eyes.  Matthew 7:3