You need a good cry!

"Tears are often the telescope by which men see far into heaven."  (Henry Ward Beecher) When was the last time you had a good cry?  Some may announce rather proudly, "It hasn't been since I was a small boy", or perhaps "It was a long, long time ago."  Others would speak of the recent weeks, sharing some story of how life dealt them a blow they just found no other recourse to deal with it than to break down and cry a little.  I'd have to say my last "good cry" has been a while, but there have been tears - of joy, stemming from laughter; of gratitude, emerging from that deep place of worship; and of grief, seeing someone I love hurt so deeply because of some pain they are enduring they cannot seem to overcome. It isn't the amount of tears shed as much as the things which evoked those tears to emerge! These are the things we will recount more than the tears.

Those who walk the fields to sow, casting their seed in tears, will one day tread those same long rows, amazed by what’s appeared.  (Psalm 126:5 VOICE)

Did you ever stop to think of your tears being the very thing which water the seeds which are being sown into your life, or the life of others?  In essence, those tears begin to break down the seed, making it pliable and eager to break forth in newness of life.  Our tears aren't always a bad thing, so to announce proudly that we "don't cry" is kind of like saying those who do are a little too sappy or emotional.  It is not uncommon for me to get deep into a place of worship and begin to sense the overwhelming presence of Jesus in that moment. It is also not uncommon for me to recall his countless extensions of grace and to find myself moved to the place a tear or two begin to trickle down my cheeks.  Why?  Tears escape because there has been a connection made which just goes deeper than any words could express.

Some tears are like that "release valve" on something under pressure - they give way once the stress on the inside is just too great to handle.  Tears hold a huge benefit for the eye, for without them we cannot keep the eye lubricated, affecting the acuity of our vision.  This means an increase in tears can actually help to improve our "visual acuity".  In a spiritual sense, I wonder if there are times when the "spiritual visual acuity" is being fine tuned, bringing more clarity into our lives where we have not had a good handle on things or they have become a little muddled by all life has been placing in our path?  Tears also express a deep sense of vulnerability - making tears a thing some avoid with as much effort as possible, since vulnerability is not a comfortable thing.

Maybe your most recent tears have been because of some "harshness" you have come up against in life.  It could be a circumstance in which things just got "ugly" and you didn't like the feelings it produced.  I might be you got into a muddle of a mess not of your own making, but which you must find a way to recover from nonetheless.  These are tears which help us to clear our minds and hearts of the feelings we have attached to those circumstances and allow us to begin the process of rebuilding again what seems to have been so easily destroyed by what was clearly out of our control.  It isn't that the emotions are wrong, or that they reveal some sort of "weakness" in you - they come because tough stuff evokes fear, anger, frustration, and even pain. 

You might find your most recent "good cry" actually left you feeling like you could finally get up, put something behind you, and move into a totally new place with an open mind. Maybe this is one of the advantages of tears we don't always see - it sets us free to allow new ideas to emerge, centering us on what now must be.  What has really happened is that we have finally rid ourselves of what must no longer be!  There might not be what "was", but tears give way to what "will be".  In essence, we are saying we are willing to move into a new place, experience newness of life, and see what comes into focus now.  These may be the tears we need most, but regardless of the types of tears you shed next, remember...they are a good thing!  Just sayin!

Tears stain the face, but heal the soul

I have some friends who seemingly cry at the drop of a hat.  You just say something, then almost imperceptibly, the tears begin to well up and there you are, them leaking tears and you standing there holding your hat in your hand!  I've never been one of those individuals who "leaks" tears very often, but a good cry does something to cleanse our soul, doesn't it?  The most precious tears are often shed right when I least expect them.  For example, I can be driving down the road, listening to the Christian station, when a song comes on which "hits" me right where I am in life.  The words do more than carry me along - they minister to my heart.  In turn, I might just "leak" a little!

Crying is better than laughing.  It blotches the face but it scours the heart.  (Ecclesiastes 7:3 MSG)

Truth is, I like to laugh much better than I enjoy crying!  Yet, there are some definite "types" of tears which I think say much more than any amount of laughter.  These are the tears of grief, joy, comfort, and hope.  

The tears of grief:
We experience grief because we have some sense of loss.  It might be the loss of a loved one, but it could be the loss of reputation, relationship, or something more material such as a special bracelet someone made for us.  I remember losing my dad when I was around thirty.  He was a very special man in my life.  I could always turn to him.  He never judged.  His heart was always open, no matter what my behavior.  The night before he died, I went to see him after I got out of my nursing clinicals.  I was tired after a long day on the nursing floor, but I knew I needed to be there.  As I drove home that night, I recall vividly a song I have only heard another two or three times since then.  In the words of the song, a small child came home to cars and people surrounding his home.  The crux of the song:  Grandpa has gone home!  I knew this was God's way of telling me my heavenly Father was ushering my earthly father home.  He left us at five the next morning.  Yep, I "leaked" that night driving home.  But...it was a "good leak" because I knew exactly where my dad was going and I knew my heavenly Father had each of us who were left behind in his tender care.  We all experience grief - there is something quite "cleansing" about the shedding of the tears which come from a broken heart.  I think those tears are all captured in God's hand, then carefully transferred to little bottles.  Each bottle bears our name.  As God looks at each of the bottles, he sees some fuller than others, but each tear has such meaning - not one of them escaped his notice.  Not one of them is ever forgotten by him.  

The tears of joy:
Have you ever been so in awe of something someone did for you, so overwhelmed by the moment, you just "leak" tears of joy?  You know the ones I mean - the moment just ministers to your heart.  Those moments when more is spoken in one deed or one carefully chosen word than could ever be demonstrated in a thousand deeds or words.  I have been blessed with some pretty special friends in life.  Each season of my life has brought at least one specific friend who walks closely with me through that season.  In my young adult years, I had the closeness of a friend who encouraged my spiritual growth, challenged me to go to Bible College, and then even took care of my children so I could!  She changed their diapers, fed them lunch, and even helped me get them potty-trained - all while I was getting my education.  As I walked down the aisle to receive my diploma that night in 1984, I knew I was receiving this diploma for two people - because she made it possible by her sacrifice!  Yep, I "leaked" tears of joy as we embraced, she told me how proud she was of me, and I just held onto her knowing how awesome it was to have such a friend.  You see, we left within the week, never to see each other again.  Our "season" was ending.  But...oh what a time of joy we had celebrated over the years!  There is nothing quite as uplifting as having someone alongside in the journey.  In those "moments" - tears of joy are only natural.

The tears of comfort:
Lately, I have noticed myself being very sensitive to various songs of worship we sing at church, or when they come on the radio.  In the words, I find such comfort.  They minister deeply to my spirit and in turn, they minister to my mind and body, as well.  You see, God cannot touch our spirit and leave our mind or body unaffected.  In touching our spirit, he is getting at the heart of what makes us unique - for it is in the spirit where we connect with God.  The songs I am finding such comfort in right now?  Those which speak of the nearness of God.  I just am in a season of needing to experience his "nearness".  You probably know what I mean - those times when words just fail, but the presence of God just speaks volumes.  We all need these times of comfort for our soul - the best place of comfort is in the arms of Jesus.  I don't know about you, but when he holds this sinner close, I leak a little!

The tears of hope:
We all get to the place we just don't see any way things are going to work out.  We are at the end of our rope and we just see ourselves circling the drain, so to speak.  Tenth Avenue North has a song called, "Any Other Way".  The words which I'd like us to hear from this song are really found in the chorus:  "It's not enough just to say we're okay.  I need your hurt, I need your pain.  It's not love any other way."  The words are words of hope.  The Lord is speaking them.  He is saying, "YOU needed my hurts.  YOU needed my pain.  Frankly, it is NOT love any other way!"  It gives me great hope knowing God doesn't skimp on the very thing we need to be free of our own hurts and pain!  

Just some thoughts on tears this morning.  Yep, I leaked a few just writing this, but that is okay.  They are in my bottle - shelved carefully in his care.  How about yours?  

Tears in a bottle

One of my family in Canada posted this saying today:  "Tears are how our  heart speaks when our lips cannot describe how much we've been hurt."  I don't usually re-post some of these things, but when they catch my eye, I let them sink in and ponder them a little.  Since I am not one to cry at the drop of a hat, I began to ponder the tears of my "heart" and some of the things I was expressing in those tears.  The emotions ranged from extreme disappointment to sheer agony associated with great loss.  Our tears speak much, don't they?

You've kept track of my every toss and turn through the sleepless nights, each tear entered in your ledger, each ache written in your book.  (Psalm 56:8 The Message)

Another translation says God collects our tears in a bottle.  I imagine a huge room lined with shelves, bottles all lined up with little labels bearing each of our names.  From the very first tears cried as we came bawling into this world to the very last tear shed from our weary eyes, God collects them all.  For some, you bottle is a fifty gallon barrel!  For others, it is a nifty little crystal bottle with this little stopper in the top!  Regardless of the tears you shed - they all matter to God!

No one understands our heart better than God.  After all - he made it!  He connects with our emotions because he designed our emotions!  The most beautiful part of this is the fact he made us in HIS image - which means God cries, too!  Now ponder that one!  I wonder if the oceans and lakes might be the "reservoirs" of God's tears?  

Somehow it gives me comfort to know God knows the response of our emotions to the things we face in life.  Our tears cannot mask the hurt of our hearts, or fully declare the heights of joy we experience.  Yet, when we begin to really seek to understand the "unspoken" words of tears, we begin to see deeper into the heart of the one shedding those tears.  What have your tears been declaring about what has deeply affected your heart?

Looking again at our passage this morning, we find some awesome truth:

- God keeps track of our sleepless nights.  No amount of tossing and turning is without his concern.  His eye is on us in the darkness of the hour.  He sees every fretful toss and reaches out to us as we turn this way or that.  No amount of "repositioning" can soothe the worried heart, can it?  In fact, when we are fretful - God's response to us is clear - "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you."  (I Peter 5:7 The Message)

- God never overlooks a tear.  In fact, whether he collects them in a bottle or enters them in a ledger, he never loses account of even one of them.  Have you ever been watching something and then missed something else?  We all have!  Thank goodness God is infinite - he is not limited by time, space, or focus!  He sees all and he accounts for all!  Have you ever shed a tear over a story told in a movie?  Even those tears don't escape his capture.  Why?  They express our ability to be moved!  God is never so delighted than to see his kids "moved" by what moves him!

- God knows our aches.  Not just the physical ones - though they may be many.  But...he knows the emotional ones, too.  The disappointments, the hopes dashed asunder, and the umteenth failure.  He knows them all - and he notes them!  I wonder why God takes such notice of our "aches"?  Did you ever stop to consider the positive side of your aches?  I think this is why he might just "record" them!  Aches are more than continuous pain - they are also the longings, yearnings, and eager expectations of our hearts!  Now, it begins to make sense why God may do more than record the stuff which brings us pain, doesn't it?  He "balances" the books, so to speak, by also keeping track of the things which we long for - the things which yank on the strings of our hearts.  Awesome!

Just a little perspective on what our God does with each tear, each fretful turn, and each ache of our heart.  Don't let the world tell you to mask these emotions - freely express them!  He wants those expressions of his image in each of us.  He relishes turning his attention to each and every one of them!  Just sayin!