I cried last night. Always I cry at weddings, school plays, every graduation, but other than that tears are rare with me. Last night I cried for really no reason at all except about twenty situations that made me feel sad- hurt- disappointed and lonely. Paul cried when he wrote the Corinthian church saying there were more tears than ink on the parchment over the situation he was addressing. Jesus cried when he was in the presence of death taking a friend. He shed tears mixed with blood so severe was His cry over the cross He chose to bear for us! Comparing all of that I am tempted to say my tears were selfish and silly, but the Holy Spirit clearly is speaking even now about the depth of God’s love for me and nothing is small and silly to Him. I have seen many a child cry and no matter what the reason, the presence of tears means they are troubled in their heart and need help to fix it. I am God’s child and if my heart is troubled for any reason He is there not only wanting to fix it, but having all ability to do so- in a split second when I allow it!

We have also seen the child “turn it on” and then “turn it off” in a manipulative way. That is not what I am referring to. Usually we get caught off guard by tears that may feel embarrassing- or tears justified and we wail louder- nevertheless it is not something we planned- it just happens. Last night I allowed the Holy Spirit to minister to my heart and the tears were cleansing and left me stronger. It happened fairly quickly because I responded to His presence. I am not a pathetic person, I am a person who had allowed my foundation to crack and only the Lord has the strength I need to carry the bags of cement to the cracks, stir it and pour it in. Once He finishes I am energized to follow Him to the next thing! Luke tells about a woman who was a sinner and brought the alabaster box of ointment for Jesus and cried tears of repentance as she washed Jesus feet. Those are tears we all must cry! Perhaps I will cry more often this year or maybe not. Either way when they come I know where to turn and allow God to take them and use them for good. Tears are here to stay on the earth, but the day will come when God shall wipe away all tears from our eyes as we enter eternity with Him. For now let’s let them fall into His hands and follow Him to peace that passes all understanding and enjoy a taste of heaven here and now! We may physically and emotionally experience the hurricanes of life, but there is always a place of peace where God resides!