Tears.
Psalm 56:8, "You have taken account of my wanderings; put my tears in Your bottle. Are they not in Your book?"
Tears give voice to the emotions we feel deep within our hearts and souls, whether it is a conscious thought or a subconscious one. Sometimes we've learned to squelch the feelings that rise to the surface when we experience a happening or what someone says to us.
What happens is stored within us unless we give it space to be and it finds its way through us to healing, whether it's a hard and painful emotion or a joy-filled emotion.
Then another thing may happen to us and it adds to what is stored within us - a word spoken, a death, a rejection, being overlooked, an ache and longing, you name it; and the tears come.
When they come, in all our vulnerability, we often turn our faces, brush our cheeks to hide their trail.
Why do we so often turn our face to shield the trail of tears that leave their shiny mark on our cheeks? In some ways we feel, maybe shame that they are present. We may feel exposed, naked, and vulnerable as the tears leave our eyes and trail down our cheeks?
But tears are seen and cared for by God. Tears are important, so important that God collects them and puts them in a bottle.
There is space for tears and they matter. What causes them matters. I picture God gently holding the bottle, tracing the trail of tears and carefully and gently guiding them into the opening. The He writes about it. He may name them or maybe He writes what we say and name as we pour out our hearts to Him along with the tears.
Tears tell us that something and/or someone matters a whole lot.
Tears are the language of grief. They speak of weariness. They hold the ache of unmet longings and desires. They mourn for the ones we love who have gone on to their eternal home. They leave their trail as we laugh hard. Tears fill our eyes as we witness joyous reuniions and moments. Tears of repentance soften our hearts.
Tears are healthy. They was our hearts, souls, and minds, cleansing us from the toxicity of stress and pain, again and again.
Tears are a language. The next time tears come, listen to what they are telling you and treasure them just as God does. Listen to the voice they are saying and give space for them, allowing their cleansing and healing work to take place.
