There are always events that come to us in our lives that inevitably cause an explosion of tears in our lives. Whether it be the joy of seeing a baby being born or the leaving of a young adult at college, life brings us ups and downs, victories and defeats that leave us in tears.
And that's okay.
Tears have a language all their own. They need no interpreter.
In some kind of mysterious way, God has created us with the ability to cry when we reach the limit of our verbal communication.
Why do we shed tears?
I cry at the end of sad, yet uplifting movies like "World Trade Center."
I cry when I share the grief of people who have lost a loved one.
I cry when my soul is overwhelmed with feelings that words cannot describe.
And yes, I cried yesterday when we left Becky.
Our tears can flow during the singing of a beautiful chorus to God, or when we are alone, or when we are lost in some vivid memory or wrestling in prayers.
Did you know that God takes special note of our tears?
Psalms 56:8 tells us that God puts them in His bottle and enters them into the record He keeps on our lives.
David said, "The Lord has heard the voice of my weeping."
When we cry, that's heaven's cue to come to our aid.
For some strange, cultural reason, our culture dictates that tears are a sign of weakness, a sign of immaturity.
Not so!
Jeremiah was called the "weeping prophet". He was so transparent and tender that he couldn't preach a sermon without the interruption of tears.
Yet, God chose him to be his personal spokesman at the most critical time in Israel's history. Kind of seems like an unlikely choice, unless your value tears as God does.
So go ahead and have a good cry today. And know that when you and I shed tears, God is present.
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A search for truth and meaning in life
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George
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Acts: An exegetical commentary
- Acts: An exegetical commentary
3 comments:
When we hurt, God hurts with us. That statement from your sermon on Sunday has stuck with me all week. I'm in the process of making a very tough decision and the results will be heartbreaking in a number of ways so having the support of my heavenly Father is very important to me. I believe that God appointed Jeremiah because He really wanted Israel to know that His heart was breaking for them, and by them. God always qualifies the called, it seems that we don't have a whole lot of records of where He called the qualified. It makes sense, since the Bible is a book of love and hope, that God would provide us examples that show His power and might. If we had stories of qualified, almost perfect people then we might be tempted to think that these folks did things on their own. We do nothing on our own, everything is done with the grace and assistance of God Almighty!
Our society is screwed up! And it affects most men regarding showing any emotion, but particularly tears. "Men don't cry" Well, that's a crock! But, even saying that, it is hard for me to show that much emotion consistently. When it hits me in church, or in my conversations with God, I feel blessed. In my job, I don't have that luxury...it really affects the professional image that we try to portray if we break down and cry.
With my family, of course, the tears come more frequently but there is still that stereotype. I try to let my boys know that it is okay to be emotional...that it is okay to cry when words fail us. I remember my boys had never heard or seen me cry until a couple of years after our oldest son died. I had always kept it (the tears)away from them. But one night, on our oldest son's birthday a couple of years after his death and after everyone had gone to bed and was asleep, I lost it in the laundry room. I mean, I lost it completely. Sobs cannot even begin to cover my grief at that time...and it got so bad that I ended up waking everyone in the house. We ended up in a four-way huddle on the laundry room floor as they tried to console me only to find themselves weeping as well. That was the first time that my boys had ever seen me cry, but not the last. That day seemed to open the well...at least crack the seal on the well...so that my heart has been more evident to them since.
God was with me at that time and He is still with me now. For those of you who know our story, you know that God told me, "Did I not give you two to replace the one I received?" He did, and I am truly blessed to have them. God held me up when I needed His strength...I still need His strength every day.
I love God so much!
Jon
Psalm 56:8 Great verse.
I’m a crier. Sometimes I hate to admit it because like you and Jon wrote, our society views it as a sign of weakness. I definitely cry at sad movies but I’ve also been known to cry when something extremely great happens. I’m realizing that crying is a natural way to let out emotions. It’s interesting to me though that a lot of people would consider themselves to be “non-criers.” I wonder how much of that is influenced by upbringing or their unique personalities…Just something to think about.
well, tears are welling up now that i've read pastor's words and the replies that came along with it. i don't cry very much, i try to be strong. otherwise i'm way too sensitive and end up crying over everything. a few weeks ago at work i did a few things that someone else should've done, and i ended up being repremanded for it instead of the person that didn't do her job. that didn't make much sense to me and i ended up crying at work for 2 hours! (there were other things going on as well that contributed to this) this is what happens when i don't let go. i allow things to build up and eventually they must come out. a few words pastor spoke on sunday still effect me. one little sentence about a couple that tries to have children and go week after week, month after month and still no child. that would be me. it's a bit easier when you deal with it on your own, but to hear someone else say it is very difficult. i'm glad God didn't answer that prayer nearly 2 years ago when we started trying, because we weren't ready. who knows, maybe there isn't a right time, but now seems pretty good. i just have to keep holding out for God's plan, though difficult.
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