It was a tearful day. I had cried when a moving song came on the radio. It was about the plight we feel as Christians living as strangers in the World; that feeling of not belonging and longing for a place we can call home. I had cried at the news of the death of my cousin, Jackie; thinking of his family and feeling the loss that they are feeling, crying out to God for comfort and mercy. I had cried because everything I know and love is changing and I have to figure out who I am supposed to be.
All day long I had felt the weight of sadness and despair; like a dark cloud that blocked my ability to see anything good or positive. So, after work, God and I took a walk and the pent-up frustration that I had felt all day was released in a torrent of tears as I poured out my heart to him. The tears welled up and ran down my cheeks and all my longing was fulfilled, and all my sorrow was washed away, and all my fears and disappointments disappeared in the love that flowed from God's heart to mine.
My tears brought an immediate release of the stress and frustration that I felt, but I wondered, "Do my tears have an eternal purpose?"
In Psalm 56:8 we read, "You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book?"
Imagine that! God keeps a record of my tears. He hears my cries, sees my tears, and remembers them. I am uncertain about whether he keeps them in a bottle or not, but perhaps he does. At any rate, he knows every tear that I have cried. And that, my friend, makes me feel better. My tears are not wasted. They are important to God
