|
He Gave Us Tears
by Venus e. Bardanouve
L ord, I don't want to cry in front of my children and grandchildren. Help me to be brave and show them how a Christian faces death ."
This was my friend's prayer when she lost her husband. And she sat dry-eyed through his funeral .
Weeks went by and she was still tearless, but her weight of sorrow grew heavier every day. Finally she called out in desperation, "Lord, give me back my tears." He did, and as the tears flowed, her pent-up burden lightened and her broken heart began to heal. She realized that tears are one of God's gracious gifts to us. The all-knowing and compassionate God, who fully understands us, knew we needed them for many reasons.
My friend found that she needed her tears to help relieve the burden of loss. Abraham wept when he buried Sarah, Jacob cried when he thought his son Joseph was dead, David poured out his sorrow with tears over his slain son Absalom, and Mary Magdalene wept at Jesus' tomb.
Sometimes it is not loss, but God's blessing that brings tears. When Jesus enters a heart, old walls are often washed away by tears. As tears poured down the cheeks of a big, burly man who had just found God, he said, "Twenty-five years ago when I was twelve years old, my father almost beat me to death. I vowed then that no one would ever make me cry again, and I have never shed a tear since that day. Now I can hardly stop crying."
Four-year-old Kyle had a touch of that same experience. He was having lunch with Grandma. As she held his small hand, she thanked God for the food and for her little grandson. As she finished praying, he wiped his hand across his eyes and said, "Grandma, when you pray it makes my eyes water." The Holy Spirit often brings tears to the eyes of those with tender hearts.
The Bible tells us to "...weep with those who weep" (Romans 12:15). Jesus wept in compassion when He saw Mary and Martha's grief at the loss of their brother, Lazarus. Tears of others may move us to compassion and action as we sense the hurt that caused them.
 Our loving Father kenw that
while we live on earth, we
need tears to soften our hearts.
Then, there are regretful tears we shed when we face our failures. Peter, who had denied Jesus three times, wept bitterly as he faced his weakness and failure. Jesus said "there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Matthew 8:12) on the day of judgment when some face the fact that they have been guilty of the greatest failure of all—failure to accept God's love and offer of forgiveness through Jesus Christ.
But all tears are not tears of sadness. There are wonderful tears of happiness. Joseph was overcome with joyous tears when he saw his long-lost brother, Benjamin. The Bible says, "Joseph made haste...and he sought where to weep; and he entered into his chamber, and wept there" (Genesis 43:30). And later, when he was reunited with his father, whom he had not seen in years, "...he fell on his neck, and wept on his neck a good while" (Genesis 46:29). Joseph must have shed many tears of loss, pain, and frustration as he was sold as a slave and separated from his family, but he found that "...weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning" (Psalm 30:5).
God is aware of every tear we shed. David said, "...the Lord heard the voice of my weeping," and the Bible assures us that our tears are precious to God. It says, "...put my tears into Your bottle: are they not in Your book?" (Psalm 56:8).
My friend's heart was shriveling up in tearless sorrow when she called out, "God, give me back my tears!" Our loving Father knew that while we live on this earth, we need tears to soften our hearts. But we can look forward to that glorious day when no one will need tears—the day when "God will dwell with them...and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes" (Revelation 7:17).
Venus Bardanouve is a retired speech pathologist and audiologist who now writes full-time from her home in Harlem, Montana. She has authored over 75 0 articles, and Bible studies which are widely distributed. A collection of these writings will soon be published in a new book titled, Journeys of the Heart . She and her husband, Francis, a retired legislator, each hold honorary doctorates from the University of Montana.
Email: venusba@ttc-cmc.net
|
