I could hear the argument escalating. I listened quietly from the kitchen to the dispute in the room down the hall where my two middle girls were supposed to be cleaning the room.
"Gracie, that is mine, you cannot take it, DON'T THROW IT AWAY!"
I heard as Gracie exited the room with her prize in hand. It was time for intervention. "What is going on?" I asked.
Gracie was cleaning what she considered to be a dirty mason pint jar out of the room. It was about 1/8 full of clear liquid. It looked like something to be removed to me as well. But, I pressed Jessica for an answer. "Why do you want to keep this?" To which she began to cry, she said, "Because the Bible says that God keeps our tears."
Defeated completely and touched deeply, I returned the jar with the tears to the room and there it will stay.
Yes, God does keep our tears. There is not one stray that falls from our eyes that eludes Him. Even those that barely press into the corner of our eyes before we embarrassedly wipe them away He has collected them before us. We may cry rivers, or gentle trickles, but none goes unnoticed by the God of the universe. Psalm 56:8 " You have kept count of my tossings, put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book?" My eight year old, clearly understands and trusts her God in this. She is taking Him at His word. And, to my sorrow, she has cried many tears. God has allowed her path to go through dark lands of loss. Yet, she still trusts Him, by His grace!
Why cannot we? Why is that when we go through trials we throw up our hands to God and say, "Why me, God?" Why are we discontent? Why do we question, doubt, or despair?
John 14:1 has a clear, simple directive "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God. Believe also in me (Jesus)."
Let us believe in God. Let us cry with others, for others, and when our hearts are burdened with the cares of this life. We can pour out our hearts to Him who hears, sees, feels, and collects the tears. He is a God of compassion who has wept with and for His people. Our God comforts and holds us in His hands! Thank you Jesus!
