Tears

These are ancient Tear Bottles I saw on display in a museum in Rhodes, Greece.  I believe they may be made of alabaster.  There is a verse in Psalm 56:8 that refers to the Lord honoring our tears:  "You number my wanderings; put my tears into Your bottle; are they not in Your book?"  It was the custom in ancient times for people to actually save their tears in bottles such as those in this photo.

For years, it bothered me that I cry so easily.  When my heart is touched (and, my heart is  quite tender), I usually tear up and often outright weep.  I frequently cry during my times alone with God because I am so deeply moved by my encounters with Him.  After pondering my propensity for weeping, I realized that my tears are a form of praise to God and He is pleased by them.  Indeed, I believe He puts them into His spiritual tear bottle and counts them as precious in His sight. 

I wanted to share an answer to prayer that I had this morning.  I've been searching for my bi-focal glasses for a couple days with no success.  I've only had them for a month or so and they were expensive - as prescription glasses are - so I really needed to find them.  I decided to search the car for the fourth time.  As I opened the car door, I prayed, "Please, Lord, let me find the glasses."  Immediately, I reached under the seat and felt the glasses on the floor.  I burst into tears of praise at the wonder of it and cried out, "Thank you, Father!"  I felt truly humbled by His grace and thankful for His kindness to me.  I had a little praise party then -- complete with waterworks!

It's actually rather strange - sometimes when I have tears in my eyes, my vision is actually clearer.  I look outside and see distant objects perfectly clear when normally I need glasses.  I think that has a deeper meaning as well.  There are many times that God offers us a clearer vision of an event or circumstance when we have tears in our eyes.  Tears and the softening of the heart they represent allows God to speak to us in ways we might otherwise miss.  Thank God for the tears for they are precious in His sight.