Monday, February 03, 2014

Tears are a Gift - Rose McCormick Brandon

When we feel God present, often our first inclination is to cry. His presence melts that layer of toughness we all develop to help us survive in the world. When we come to a moment of truth, when it’s just God and us, the barriers come down, and tears flow.

Humans are the only creatures on earth that produce tears. We are hard-wired to cry. Before we looked at the faces of our parents, before we were snuggled in a warm blanket, we opened our mouths wide and wailed with gusto.

There’s something to be said for bawling like a baby. When stresses accumulate, often the best thing to do is to have a good cry.

We not only cry over our troubles, we also cry for joy – at weddings, births and graduations. Tears are often the only way to express how we feel.

sorry_crying_cartoonTears are a gift from God. Never be ashamed of them.

The best thing to do with troubled tears is to mix them with prayer. Many, many times as I’ve cried out my prayers to God, He has helped me see my troubles from His perspective. He’s lifted my burdens so that I no longer feel overwhelmed by them. He’s filled me with peace.
Keep this verse close to your heart -

Those who sow with tears
will reap with songs of joy. Psalm 126:5

 
If you are shedding troubled tears today, I pray you’ll sense the comfort of God in a special way and that when your time of crying is over, you’ll shed tears of joy because God has intervened in the events of your life.

For more from Rose McCormick Brandon, visit Listening to my Hair Grow

4 comments:

Glynis said...

From a person who cries at the drop of a hat sometimes, I thank your for this great post and the reassurance of how tears are a blessing. I love how you advise the sobber to mix troubled tears with prayers - that just seems the right thing to do. I've heard lots of people who are not even believers call out to God through tears...
Signed - a cry baby

George C. Hartwell said...

As I soften before the Lord over the year, I become more 'tears over everything.' I even use that as a form of discernment. I someone is talking about something and I feel tears my guess is that the Holy Spirit is in it. I become more positive.

Peter Black said...

A lovely post, Rose, and the topic strikes more of a chord with me at my present stage in life than formerly.
My sister's husband (also a retired pastor) and I recently concurred that our emotions rise closer to the surface as we age and more easily break through (that's somewhat touché with George's thought).
That "tears are a gift from God" is a profound thought (thank you!), and a blessing, as Glynis says.
In the context of your post and prayer, they can be cathartic, and perhaps more importantly, cleansing to the soul through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. ~~+~~

Anonymous said...

Such insightful comments - I'm blessed reading them. It seems we're wired to cry - a primal response. I once read that our bodies rids itself of certain substances (can't remember what) when we cry and that's why we feel better after a good wail. We are so wonderfully put together.

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