“You number my wanderings; Put my tears into Your bottle; Are they not in Your book?” Psalm 56:8 NKJ
Growing up I rarely cried. If I felt the urge to cry I would fight it until it went away. For years my mom told me it was okay to cry but her words couldn’t penetrate my stubbornness. Somehow I viewed crying as being weak and I never wanted anyone to think I was weak. My unwillingness to cry lasted until I was in my thirties. I know that seems extreme but it is true! After experiencing a personal loss I could no longer fight back the tears. I remember crying so much that my tears soaked the pillow. But when I woke up in the morning I felt a sense of relief I had never felt before. This experience was the beginning of a wonderful encounter with God during my times of trial when I need to let out a good cry.
Since then I have studied about tears and I discovered many things that I never knew before. Did you know that in ancient days the tears of mourners at a funeral were bottled and placed with the body that was being laid to rest? Did you know that Archeologists have discovered tombs that are filled with such bottles? These were very popular in Roman times and were a symbol of respect. This tradition, though modified, was also popular during the Victorian era and again during the Civil War era. There are still artisans who make tear bottles today in many parts of the world, though the tradition of using tear bottles is not as popular as it was in the past.
While these acts of respect are noteworthy, the psalmist’s reminder to us that God bottles every tear we cry is of much more importance! As Christians we know that one day our tears will be wiped away, but to know that not one teardrop we shed on earth, goes unnoticed by God, is just as comforting. When we look at the life of Christ and the times He wept we are given an even greater reminder of God’s love for us when He gave us the ability to cry. Jesus sympathizes with our pain. (Hebrews 4:14) Jesus cried at the tomb of His friend. (John 11:35) And sometimes Jesus cried passionately. (Hebrews 5:7-10)
Tears are a gift from God given to us to express our deepest sorrows or our most incredible joy! Our tears also tell a story about us. Jeremiah is a great example of this fact. He came to be known as the “Weeping Prophet”, because he was so overwhelmed and passionate for God’s people that he would weep uncontrollably at times, when he preached. What an example for men because men oftentimes do not express themselves through tears. The world has done them a great injustice by telling them that crying is for wimps. As a result many men hold back their tears. My prayer is that they will study the Bible and re-frame their belief about crying.
When we let the tears flow from the depths of our soul we are ushered into the presence of God in a very intimate way! And when we don’t fight back the tears we also experience an incredible blessing from God when our time of weeping is over. Psalm 30:11 & 12 says, “You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, to the end that my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks to You forever.”
I can attest to this truth as I have learned to embrace God’s gift of tears and experienced Him turning my mourning into dancing, when my time of sorrow was through! Another blessing that comes when we learn how to release our tears is found in Romans 12:15 & 16. It says, “Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another.” We are blessed with the gift of compassion towards others when we learn how to release our tears.
Today I cry for many reasons. I cry in times of sorrow, times of celebration, and times of anticipation. I want to encourage you to search the Scriptures for more examples where tears were an expression of emotion. If any of the examples are not areas in your life where you shed tears, spend time asking God to give you understanding in that area. Then meditate on those passages and begin to allow God to soften your heart so you can experience the intimacy of relationship with Him, during those times in your life. As I said tears are a gift from God and today is a great time to unwrap the gift.
Prayer: Thank You for giving me the precious gift of tears. Let me embrace them as a blessing You have given me so I can experience a more intimate relationship with you. May I learn to release my tears so I will learn how to be compassionate towards other people in their times of weeping. I praise You for bottling each tear I cry. I praise you for turning my times of mourning in dancing and I will rejoice and worship you. I also praise You that one day you will wipe away my tears, but for now I will not fight them back because they are a gift from You. Amen
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