You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book?     Psalm 56:8

While I was growing up, my mom cried during touching television moments. She cried during old movies when two lovers were reconciled. She cried while watching The Waltons and Little House on the Prairie, and she even cried during Folgers coffee commercials. Yep, stories surrounding that stuff that is good to the last drop made her weep. So I grew up in a home where tears were acceptable and normal.

Now that I am older, I value tears for a couple of reasons. First, I generally believe when we are willing to be authentically real and honest with others, they will often do the same with us. Of course, there are exceptions, but on the whole, transparency promotes transparency, so intimacy is built. When we cry with others, they may feel free to do the same. Second, tears help us experience God more intimately. When all our posturing and posing before the Almighty is stripped away through tears, we are humbled before Him in dependency. Tears cleanse the eyes of the heart so we can see Him more clearly and experience His grace more fully.

“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up” (James 4:10).

But not everyone is happy to shed tears either publicly or privately. For many reasons (including our histories and insecurities), shedding tears can make us feel vulnerable and out of control. That’s understandable. But if you have a hard time allowing yourself to cry, you might find what the Bible says about tears enlightening and even liberating.

For example, in Luke 19:41, Jesus—the Creator, the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End—wept over Jerusalem and was grieved that the Jews did not recognize Him as Savior. The Greek word translated “wept” means more than just shedding a few silent tears—it means “to wail aloud.” That’s some serious crying!

Jesus wailed. David soaked his bed with tears. Joseph cried. Jacob kissed Rachel and cried aloud. Ezra threw himself on the ground and wept. In Zephaniah, shepherds wailed. In Isaiah, even brave men cried in the streets. If it’s okay for Christ our Lord and other brave men to cry, isn’t it okay for us to do the same in vulnerable moments?

“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).

Prayer: Lord, I am so grateful that I can come to you honestly with my tears. You are not a God who despises weakness. You invite me to bring all that I am and all that I struggle with to you. Thank you that you aren’t unable to identify with my sadness and grief. I love you. Amen.

Application: Are you comfortable or uncomfortable with tears? Take your feelings about crying to the Lord and ask Him to reveal if there are any life factors that He would like to change your perspective about that have contributed to your comfort level with crying.

Related Readings: Psalms 30:5; Psalms 39:12; Psalms 139:3

By Shana Schutte

 

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