“Just tilt your head back, close your eyes and I’ll yank it out on the count of three…ready? 1…2…3!” The tooth came out. Elated and stunned by the sharp surge of pain that rushed through my little six-year old mouth, I burst into tears.
“You big cry baby!” The big heroic tooth extractor, my dad, said with a laugh. All I could do was whimper amid muffled sobs, “But it hurts dad!” as I nursed the new gaping hole in my gums with a soggy paper towel.
What was supposed to be a historic moment of bravery and courage turned into one big pathetic flop. I had proved myself to be none other than an official wimp. From that day on, crying for me became a strictly private and pretty much non-existent affair, even into my adult years. Any time I would feel the brimming and sloshing of tears inside like a water dam about to burst, I forced them to stay in the place I thought they belonged–hidden deep within my soul for no one else to see.
It was only when I stumbled across these two treasured lines in the Psalms that my perspective on crying suddenly changed:
“You [LORD] have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.”
Psalm 56:8
Isn’t it cool to think that each and every tiny droplet of salty moisture we have ever shed over our lifetime of experiences (yes, including losing our first tooth) has been collected in a precious bottle held near and dear to our Father’s heart?
You see, God doesn’t laugh when we cry. He doesn’t tell us to toughen up or turn the page on our tears like they don’t exist. No, He rejoices in our expression of emotion in this way because our tears represent His heart in this upside down world. They are a reminder that everything is not yet as it should be.
Dear sister, whatever your tears are about right now– unanswered prayers…unmet promises… uncertainty… sickness… death… loneliness… depression… confusion… heartache…or heart break–take heed that they are all being seen and savored by the One who comforts and cares for our every need. May we rest in the hope that our tears are not the final word. One day we will be brought to the place of eternal joy promised to those who love Him; a place without sorrows and where every tear will be wiped away (Revelation 21:3).
For now, let us be comforted with Paul’s words,
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ…who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.”
2 Corinthians 1:3-4