The Keeper of Our Tears

It’s important to remember that God doesn’t just hear the hallelujahs, but He hears every cry and sees every tear that runs down our cheeks. He knows our feelings are real, and I believe that when we hurt, He hurts with us. No Father wants to see their child hurting, so He will give us His presence, comfort us, and dry our tears. When the next hard moment or hard day comes, don’t be ashamed to go to God; instead, let Him wrap His arms around you so tight and let His presence remind you how much you are loved by Him.

The life I have been given is such a gift, and I simply wouldn’t trade it for anything in this world. With God, I have been able to genuinely fall in love with the me that He created me to be on the hard and the good days. So, when that day comes that tries to get me to forget all this, what do I do?

First, I remember that every day isn’t going to be perfect, and that’s normal. I am not a bad Christian if I have a day where I don’t feel like myself. It just reminds me how dependent I am on the Lord for my joy, strength, and confidence.

Second, I allow myself to feel and may even cry a little. A lot of the time, I believe we try to shut off our feelings, which leads to whatever is bothering us never truly being understood. God wants us to come to Him with every feeling, concern, and heartbreak we have. Prayer is such a gift, and oftentimes I believe it’s our last resort when it should always be our first. I pray I never forget to go to the Lord in prayer when these moments come, good or bad, to thank Him or ask Him for help.

Third, I ask myself if worrying about whatever is causing me to doubt is going to resolve the issue. The answer to this is always “no.” The only thing my worrying does is cause me to be in an anxious and hateful mood, which I then usually end up taking out on my family and friends. God tells us not to worry about anything and whatever is trying to make us doubt, to give it to Him, so why do we try to hold onto it until we can’t anymore before giving it to Him? This is where I have a hard time. I’m a planner and want to have everything planned out, so I know what is coming and how to prepare myself for it.

When things don’t go as planned, that's when my worry creeps in, and instead of releasing my plans to God as I should, I try to make another plan of how I am going to fix my first plans that didn’t work. This is just a repeating cycle of anxiety. It’s so much easier said than done but coming from a girl who’s tried to figure it all out, it’s not worth the stress. Give whatever it is to Him first and not after you’ve tried everything you know to do. After giving it to God, I can finally take a second to reset my day and mindset and wipe away the tears.

Releasing our worries to God allows us the freedom to have a good day and enjoy it. Even if a day starts badly, it doesn’t have to end that way. With God, we can turn a day full of anxiety and stress into a day marked by joy and peace. When I am having a challenging day, not only can I give my worries over to God, but I can also look for places where I find life. It could be as simple as going on a solo coffee date, watching one of my favorite comfort movies, or chatting with a friend I haven’t seen in a while. God cares about us, and I think it brings a smile to His face when He sees us smile. Taking the time to do this helps me to remember the simple little things I enjoy in my life that can easily be overlooked in the rush of life, and especially when worrying about everything around me.

But even then, sometimes, this isn’t enough. Sometimes it feels like the darkness is closing in. Maybe there are simply too many things to worry about or too many hardships on our plates. It is in these moments that we can cling to the truth of Scripture. God tells us in Revelation 21:

There’s hope and reassurance in knowing that even though we live in a broken world now, there’s a day when God will make it all right again. When whatever you are worrying about seems to be controlling you and too big to let go of, I want you to remember that God is so much bigger than whatever it may be, and He is in control, not what you are worried about.