Bottled and Booked Tears
July 27, 2020
Not everyone is a “crier”. Some people rarely cry, others “cry at the drop of a hat”, which means they do it immediately without even stopping to think about it, and still others “cry me a river”! Typically, my crying falls somewhere between “rarely” and “cry me a river”. When I have a good cry, it tends to be moderate but I do have a record crying jag of 4 hours of non-stop crying. What a great friend I had who sat alongside of me during that episode and patiently waited until the last tear dropped from my eye!
I was thinking of crying as I was dusting off some miniature bottles I have collected from various trips I have taken. My favorite type of souvenirs to bring home from my travels is usually some type of artifact or piece of art from a country I have visited. Over time, miniature bottles have become part of my collection such as the ones pictured below which came from Thailand and Switzerland. The Thai bottle has pictures of boats and fishing, which are very reminiscent of an aspect of Thailand’s culture. The other bottle is from an Italian area of Switzerland and the stained glass and beautiful colors remind me of Milano glass so popular in Italy.
As I was dusting these off, I was reminded of Psalm 56. David, the author of this Psalm, may not have even been 30 years old at the time of writing the Psalm. However, he was fleeing Saul, and the entire Psalm gives us an idea as to all of what was going on his heart. Psalm 56: 8 in particular, reveals how difficult a journey it was for David to get to the throne.
You have kept count of my tossings;
put my tears in your bottle.
Are they not in your book?
God had tracked all the wanderings and sorrows of David. He paid attention to the afflictions of David and He stored them.
Like David, our journey on earth to the Kingdom of God will be difficult at times. Acts 14:22 reminds us that:
“…through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.”
My miniature bottles are not large enough to contain every tear I have ever shed. I would need some of those big water jugs like the ones found at the office water cooler! However, just as God paid attention to David’s sorrows, He pays attention to mine and yours as well. Whether you rarely cry, “cry at the drop of a hat”, or “cry me a river”, God’s compassion for us knows no limits, and because of that, He cares about our afflictions and pain, and notices our tears. Our tears are precious to Him, and every tear we shed is bottled and recorded until that day when He will wipe away every tear from our eyes!
4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”-Rev 21: 4