Bottle of Tears

When was the last time you cried?

When was the last time your stomach convulsed due to the tears flowing down your cheeks and splashing down on the ground below?

When was the last time you cried because of physical pain?

When was the last time you cried because you were overcome with great joy and delight?

When was the last time you cried due to the great grief and emotional pain that a situation brought on?

My iWitness...

Every time the Olympics roll around I know one thing for sure... I am going to cry. There's something about watching these elite athletes who have sacrificed so much and trained so hard and in the throes of competition hit the landing, make the shot, hit the tape at the end of the dash, set the record or simply finish in spite of a debilitating injury during the course of the race that makes me shed tears.

I cry when other people cry. When I see people I know and love cry in pain, I cry. When they hurt... I hurt. When I left the ministry at First Presbyterian Church in Klamath Falls, Oregon I cried a lot. When I hit the wall of frustration and the feeling of ineptitude in my new job a few weeks ago, I cried.

It's been a long time since I cried for joy. I will have to think about that today.

Here's a fascinating question... What do you do with the tears you shed? After you have wiped them away, what do you do with them? Do they simply dissolve on the cheeks of your face or do they get absorbed by a tissue? Where do these tears go?

You may be wondering... "Who keeps tears?"

Here's the answer... God does!

Jim Croce sang a song about saving time in a bottle, but did you know that the Mighty God of the Universe keeps your tears in a bottle.

Listen to Psalm 56. 8-9...

You have kept count of my tossings,
     put my tears in a bottle.
     Are they not in your book?
Then my enemies will turn back
     in the days when I call.
     This I know, that God is for me.

That's just how precious we are in God's eyes... not only does He hold our hearts in His merciful hands... He treasures our tears in a bottle, with our name on it, with our picture on it.

So... the next time those tears well up and start cascading down your cheeks, just remember, it is with great purpose and intentionality that our God does not let our tears go to waste but rather our gracious God reaches over and gently, ever so gently captures and collects them in a bottle.

And that's my iWitness...
Laugh often and Fear not!
David!