The Substance of Tears

The Substance of Tears

The Psalmist wrote, “Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; in whose heart are the ways of them. Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well; the rain also filleth the pools.”– Psalm 84:6 The journey of life often leads through the valley of tears. Amazingly enough, the process of maturity in life also applies to human emotions, including weeping. A child cries when they hurt but adults cry when others hurt! Yes, we all do cry from personal hurt but the ability to hurt when others hurt seems to be a part of “emotional growth.” Water is not the only substance of tears. Tears, in fact, are enriched by the spiritual substance of the grace of God manifested in the emotions of the Christians. The ability to weep with others is not a disability but rather a mark of nobility! The Creator of the universe was also a “Man of sorrows” and One who wept along with earthly friends who suffered the loss of a brother. “He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.” – Isaiah 53:3; “Jesus wept.” – John 11:35

Do you ever feel like Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers? He was so caught up in emotions that he felt the need to excuse himself and go off and have a good cry! Tears are therapeutic. We always, as the verse says, pass through the “valley of Baca.” Just recently we had a day of tremendous rain and wind. It was a dreary day, to say the least. The next morning was clear and calm. The sky was blue without a cloud in sight. What a refreshing change!

We, who weep, are in good company and can be assured that joy is coming in the morning and the morning will be fair. We continue holding the hands of the hurting and crying along with them while knowing that our God is touched by the feelings of our infirmities. We are at home with our tears while travelling to a home which has no tears. Our tears are sweetened in knowing that we are still strengthened in Him and are not in the valley to stay. Our tears are also sweetened in knowing that the worst grief in life does not remove us one fraction from the love of God. I am reminded of the story of a kindergarten teacher saying to her students. Repeat, “God is love,” after me. They repeated, “God is love after me.”! His love is still after us when we weep!

Chuck Peters – 8/12/2023