This is a hard one. Because when I was going through our deployment, I did not see tears as a treasure, that’s for sure. More like a sign of weakness. A sign of “she can’t handle it.” “She’s not coping well.”
It’s amazing how easily you can cry when your heart is on your sleeve. I still remember being at the gym one morning, seeing a news report on the television about soldiers, and tears rolling down my face as I tried to get my 30 minutes of cardio in.
I could be in the grocery store and run into someone we knew and of course, the inevitable question would come up: how’s Cliff? “He’s fine,” I would reply and my eyes would instantly start watering. Of course, then they were thinking – how are YOU?
Someone once said that “tears are words the heart can’t express.” When Cliff and I said goodbye at the airport that cold day in January a year and a month ago today, there was so much on my heart. This was my husband. My best friend. The person I relied on and loved and had chosen to grow old with. I remember the last hug we took before he headed for the terminal. There were a lot of unspoken words there and it was impossible not to cry. Tears are the words your heart can’t express.
I think tears remind us of a couple of things. We are human and we are not super-Christians by any stretch. I just started reading a new book which I bought a while ago called The Naked Christian by Craig Borlase. I read the first chapter this morning and I’m looking forward to reading the rest. The first chapter talks about how as believers, we look at these celebrity Christians – folks on stage, on tv, on radio who we so often use as examples to emulate in the Christian walk. The only problem with that is so often, these people project false walks – intentionally or not. Their hair is perfect, their clothes are stylish, and you never if ever hear about the bad morning they just had or a spiritual struggle of their own that they’re experiencing – at least not until the scandal comes out and the Christian pop star reveals their affair, or struggle with porn or the pastor steps down because of an addiction to pain killers or embezzlement of the church’s funds. The only Christian celebrities you usually see crying are the ones on television asking for your spiritual support in the form of Ben Franklin’s.
Tears also remind us that we are in need. It’s in those times of tears that we are most willing to receive. When life is good and things are moving along and we’re walking around with a smile on our face, how likely are we to accept a friend’s help? Not as likely as we would if our hearts are broken and we just can’t see that it’s going to get any better tomorrow. Then we would be a lot more likely to think about accepting help.
Sometimes it can be the same way with God. I think we sometimes forget that God doesn’t just love our praise – He loves our tears as well. If you’re a generally positive person like I like to think I am, it’s easy to come to God and say thanks. “Thank You God for who You are; thank You for loving me, for giving us the sunshine today, the rain, the beauty of the sunset.”
It’s much harder, at least for me anyway, to say “God, I really don’t want to get out of bed today. I just don’t think I can face another day. God, I feel broken.”
And yet, it’s that brokenness that God wants to restore, and who better to restore it then the One who brought the Israelites out of captivity? The One who raised Lazarus from the dead? The One who walked on water and calmed the disciples fears? He can do the same with us.
God uses tears to get our attention. To get us to listen. A transmitter the Holy Spirit can work through to minister to our hearts.
God loves our tears. He wants to dry them and comfort us with His love. If you are having a tearful day today, I pray that God will wrap you in His love and His strength, giving you hope that He is there and that He cares.
For you, O LORD, have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling… – Psalm 116:8
Related posts:
Sara…
WOW — great post!
BTW – we didn’t go to a Super Bowl party, either. Long story… We’ll talk.
Also, sounds like someone’s writing again….
Need to call you this week! Congrats on the book deal!
Dori
I just read this and I felt so touched by the words in the text.
I’ve always thought that my tears were a sign of weakness, I’ve thought that i cried because I was weak.
Now that i read this I feel so much better with me, and I know that I’n not weak.
Like you said, “tears are words the heart can’t express.”
And now that I read this, I know I was doing the exactly thing that the phrase means.
Thank you so much for the text; it made me realize about a lot of things.
(Sorry, but my English is pretty regular).
This is a beautiful post, Sarah…and a wonderful reminder of God’s provision and proof that He made us and knows us.
In the book SH just bought, my heroine struggles with the exact thing in your post..she feels crying is a weakness and a sign she’s not coping well with what life has thrown at her…but in truth, she’s to a breaking point. I believe every human has one.
Thanks for this post. Very touching.
Hugs,
Cheryl Wyatt
Tinaa, me alegro de que usted vino por algo que escribí y le ayudó. Nunca olvides cuánto te ama Dios. Él es nuestra esperanza cuando los tiempos son difíciles. Dios los bendiga!
(He utilizado un traductor web para traducir al español a fin de Inglés Espero que este tenga sentido para usted!
Y creo que su Inglés es grande!)
Hey Cheryl! Thanks for stopping by my blog! I have been hearing and reading great things about your books!! We need to do a Q&A sometime… just have to find the time!
Hi Sarah,
I myself often thought that when I cried that it was a sign of weakness, (O, how I have seen the light in His words) in fact your so right regarding your thread, God wants us to shed a tear or two because He wants to be there to comfort us in whatever it is that is either troubling us or perhaps personally praying for. Again, Great thread Sarah! And to all our brothers and sisters that have posted their comments; God bless you and your’s!
p.s. I see and respect that you read, write and understand Spanish that is so cool Sarah! God bless you and yours…Christ’ Soldier.
Eek! Lo siento!
No, I may have taken four years of Spanish in high school and college but they were the same two levels, ha. No, I’m just a techno geek… when I saw our Argentine friend comment, I visited her blog and saw she was writing in Spanish, so I used a web language translator to write her back. My luck, it won’t make any sense. Just wanted to clarify! Thanks again for commenting!