I cried today. Multiple times, actually. I cried over things that have been lost. I cried about losing my Dad, back in January. About losing my beautiful daughter back in 2016. About not getting to see my students since mid-March. About the devastation in our community from the tornadoes that ripped through just a few days ago. About all the unknowns regarding this COVID crisis. I cried today. And that’s okay. It wasn’t the first time I cried over these things, and it probably won’t be the last.
You see, I know that tears are part of the healing process. Even Jesus wept. (John 11:35) So, if you cried today, that’s okay. God sees our tears (Isaiah 38:4). Scripture says He collects our tears in His bottle (Psalm 56:8), so they must be worth something to Him. There is value in tears. I believe they can be used as a healing balm, for ourselves, or others. Sometimes, it helps just to let the tears out and release some of the pain and angst we’ve been holding on to. Perhaps, instead of just “sucking it up”, we should actually “let it flow”. Like streams in the desert.
These past few months sure have been desert-like for me. I’m parched. How about you? Have you had a good cry lately? I want to encourage you to let it out. Let the streams of healing begin to flow. This is such a strange season we are all living in, but God is with us. He is here in our desert place. He is faithful. Let him bottle your tears and use them for HIS greater glory, in your life and the lives of others. And because of His great love for us, we can press on knowing that one day there will be no more tears. No more pain. No more sorrow.
He will swallow up death for all time, And the Lord God will wipe tears away from all faces, And He will remove the reproach of His people from all the earth; For the Lord has spoken. Isaiah 25:8
Until then, it’s okay to cry.