26 May | Youth
«You number my wanderings; put my tears into Your bottle.» Psalm 56:8
The Bible is a book stained with tears. It records Jesus' tears before Jerusalem due to the sad future that awaited those who would reject God's loving warnings. It also reports the Savior's unrestrained weeping over Lazarus, a dear friend taken to the grave by a deadly illness. There are David's tears for a baby who, sadly, was barely born. We also have those of Jeremiah, crying for a national tragedy that could not be avoided. There are Job's; a mixture of pain and perplexity, at not being able to understand the spiritual battle in which he had unwittingly become involved.
Tears express our deepest dilemmas and feelings, the most complex human reactions to life and circumstances. They reveal our weaknesses and limitations, our dreams and aspirations, our most significant bonds with things, places and people. We cry for what we have achieved and what we have lost; for what we love and what we hate; for what brings us joy and what steals our peace; for what fills our emptiness and what makes us lose sleep; for the things that make us proud and those that shame us.
That is why Peter cried when he denied Jesus; and Mary, when faced with the crucifixion of the Savior of the world. Paul wept because of the many afflictions that marked his ministry. Mary Magdalene wept, perplexed, in front of an empty tomb. Other women were moved by the bloody path along which Christ, battered, carried the heavy cross that did not belong to Him. In Gethsemane, the sweat and blood of Jesus mixed with His tears of love, shed for you and me.
We all cry. We all suffer. I also shed tears; more than I would like. However, I rejoice in God’s promise that the tears will not last forever (Ps 30:5). There will be one last tear that God will personally wipe from my face (Rev 21:4). The words of Jesus, spoken in the Sermon on the Mount, will be fulfilled: “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” (Matt 5:4). I want to live to see this happening, but I will only succeed if I do not give up. And that is precisely what I am going to do. How about you?