God Knows Every Tear

I pulled down the lid of my ball cap, grateful my eyes were hidden by sunglasses. My husband got out of the car and placed the pink geraniums in a spot of sun near the front door of their house. The potted flowers were a surprise for my son and his new bride when they returned from their honeymoon.

The last words my son said after the ceremony stabbed my heart as I watched them set out for their trip.

“See ya sometime.”

A familiar sting pricked the corners of my eyes as we pulled out of the driveway and drove through the quaint town. Making our way to the airport to head back home, sunglasses or no, tears now flowed freely while my hubby squeezed my hand.

Our son lived hundreds of miles away from us. I didn’t get to see him enough. I wanted more precious time with his sweet bride.

Tears are certainly not foreign to me. I’m known for crying easily for varied reasons. I’ve even been known to cry at the last five minutes of a movie I hadn’t even watched until the very end. (Please tell me I’m not the only one who does this.)

Though you may not cry during Hallmark commercials like I do, we all—at times—cry. Even if only on the inside.

Life is a series of tears. We swipe away moisture from our face for so many moments:

• We leave a job
• We move away from family and friends
• We hug good-bye at airports
• We send kids to college
• We grapple with financial hardship
• We lose someone we love
• We suffer broken relationships
• We make mistakes we deem unforgiveable
• We ruminate over regrets
• We pull out of the driveway of someone we won’t see for a while

We all experience difficult times, hard places, and painful struggles that move us to tears. Our pain is often invisible to others and goes completely unnoticed by those around us. Have you ever been smiling and laughing in a crowded room full of people, but feel as though you’re dying on the inside?

Yeah, me too.

Even if our sadness was evident and we’re asked to describe our current struggle, we simply . . . can’t. Sometimes, our depth of sorrow is hard to put into words.

In the Bible, David was no stranger to anguish. He suffered hateful actions by his enemies and had to flee and hide in the wilderness from those who pursued him. But, even in his despair, He knew God was aware of his suffering and believed God would answer his prayers. He wrote this Psalm amid one of his times of distress:

You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.

Psalm 56:8 (NLT)

God sees our pain. He notices our sorrow. He knows our heartache. He remembers our sorrow as if He kept each tear in a bottle.

Nothing escapes God. He sees every one of our anxious thoughts and sleepless nights. He is intimately aware of our pain and captures every teardrop of our grief. Each and every tear we shed is treasured, valued, and remembered by God to remind us of the depth of His tender care for us. He promises to one day wipe away every tear from our eyes and redeem all our suffering.

Rather than bottling up our sorrows, we can bottle up our tears in God’s tender care.

Whatever has brought tears to your eyes this week, know that God is already aware of them.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for knowing the burdens I cannot put into words. As I place my tears into your hands, remind me that I am not alone. Grant me peace in knowing you are with me, and that I am in your tender care. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Do you have a Scripture verse that brings you comfort when you’re carrying a hidden burden? I’d love for you to share it with me in the comments. I read every one.