Every Tear Matters

Every Tear Matters

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.

Revelation 21:4

I once believed tears were a sign of weakness. I vividly remember a moment when I felt the aching pang of heartbreak, and someone jokingly asked, “Are you going to cry now?”

I consciously kept my pent-up tears from flowing, embarrassed to show my weakness. Like pressing a cork into a shaken-up bottle to keep it from exploding, I stuffed down my unshed tears in an effort to look strong.

Years later, the pressure built and the cork finally blew off. After adding our first son to our family, I didn’t ease my prior commitments and continued to work, travel, and lead my Bible study group as if I had no limitations. One year into motherhood, my body and mind broke down, and the tears finally began to flow. God used that season to bring me to this realization: I am not made to bottle my tears but to let their healing flow point me to God, my true healer.

Suppressing my tears had kept me from coming to God in my brokenness and profound need. I thought my stoicism was a sign of strength, but in reality, my refusal to cry out in my grief and pain had hindered my healing and freedom.

As the tears finally came out over the following days and weeks, I learned that God is not put off by our cries for help. Psalm 56:8 tells us he holds our tears in a bottle—he sees every drop that falls.

God made our bodies to produce tears for a reason. Tears are not a sign of weakness; they can be an act of worshipful surrender. When we pray and tears stream down our faces, we can open our clenched fists, release our worries, and be reminded of God’s nearness. When we weep and lament over injustice, our tears reveal how God moves our hearts to action. When we speak about what he has done and our eyes sting with tears of gratitude, or when we sing about God’s faithfulness while crying tears of joy, we are prompted to a deeper awe of and love for God. When we repent over our sins and cry out our confession, our tears expose our change of heart.

Every tear counts. Every tear matters.

There will be a day when every tear will be wiped away, but today is not that day (see Ecclesiastes 3:4; Revelation 21:4). In the meantime, God is faithful to rescue and redeem our broken parts and hold our tearstained faces.

Don’t ignore your tears, and don’t hold them back. Let them flow freely, whether they’re tears of sorrow and grief or joy and thanksgiving. Cry out to God, and find hope as your tears fall in the presence of the one who knows your sorrow firsthand: Jesus, “a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3).

Word before World

God sees our tears of grief, pain, joy, and praise, and he tenderly preserves them in his bottle.

Grow in Grace

Pay attention to your tears. The next time you feel like crying, let your tears flow in surrender and praise to God, who holds each one and offers you hope in Jesus.

https://tbibles.com/5HaQ