A Bottle of Tears

“Thou tellest my wanderings: put Thou my tears into Thy bottle: are they not in Thy books?”  Psalm 56:8

Several years ago shortly after my son had died, a group of ladies at the church where my son and his wife attended organized a get together for mothers who had suffered the loss of a child.  Each mother received a tiny bottle with a stopper in the top fastened to a ribbon that can be worn around the neck.  There was an ancient custom of collecting tears of sorrow of those who had lost loved ones as a memorial of their passing.  God cares about every tear we shed, every problem we have, and every pain that invades our peace.  Like the hairs of our heads are numbered, God makes a record of every tear that we shed.  He records our sorrows in His book of remembrance.  I don’t know of anyone on earth who would go to that much effort even for his or her most precious loved one.

Don’t most people desire for someone to really care about them and their hurts?  It seems that people don’t have time to care anymore.  Everyone is so busy with their lives that they don’t want to be inconvenienced or go out of their way to lend a listening ear or give a gentle pat on the shoulder.  Our fast-paced modern society has produced many selfish and narcissistic people.  In my opinion, I think that social media, rather than bringing people together socially, has actually contributed to more isolation, indifference, and loneliness.  (One of these days I am going to write a blog about the downside of social media.)

I am glad that the Lord is never too busy to care.  Even if no one we know will take the time to help us bear our burdens, hold us as we weep, or even just give us a smile, the Lord will always be available to hear our cries of sorrow and help bear our pain.  He certainly had a lot of experience with sorrow and pain.  He was left for a while completely alone as He hung on the cross to pay our sin debt.  He cried out to His Father, “Why have You forsaken Me?”(Matthew 27:46).  I can’t imagine the magnitude of suffering that He endured, but that gives me assurance that He understands our suffering.  Hebrews 4:15 tells us that Jesus, as fully human, experienced what we experience in life so that He could help us.  I am glad that He really cares about you and me.