Sound of Surviving Blog

I hate crying. I get so frustrated with myself and embarrassed when I cry, especially when I do so in front of others. Crying makes me seem and feel not so strong, or not so put together. But God always seems to have a purpose for our tears. If we didn’t cry, we wouldn’t let out any of our emotions, joy, happiness, anger, etcetera. Some of the most beautiful poems, hymns, songs, and pieces of art, are written or created because of, or through those tears. After all, the David who weeps and cries out to God in the Psalms, is the same David who defeated Goliath with just a sling and a stone. And his Psalms contain some of the most beautiful words ever written.

There is a story I’ve heard before, where an angel says to God, after he has created the woman, “Your creation is leaking”. God replies that it is a teardrop, and that it has a purpose, “Tears are her way of expressing her grief, her doubts, her love, her loneliness, her suffering, and her pride,” God replies. He continues, explaining to the angel that “she has strength that amazes men. She can carry heavy burdens. She carries happiness, love, and opinions. She smiles when she feels like screaming. She sings when she feels like crying, cries when happy, and laughs when afraid. She fights for what she believes in. Her love is unconditional. Her heart is broken when a family member or a friend dies, but she finds the strength to continue on with life.” A woman’s tears are her example to the world, that it is okay to be both strong and capable, but also soft and exposed at the same time. There’s a quote I love from Milanie Vosloo, that states, “when a woman cries, it is her deep inner being that spontaneously spills over.” So maybe for us women, God gave us tears as his way of saying, “It’s okay to not always have a brave face, for your tears show more strength and grace than anything else you do ever could.”  Tears show that we have chosen to love, to dream, to live, and to keep on going, even in an imperfect and messy, chaotic, sin-filled world. We cry these tears in this life, and choose to keep pushing on because this shows we believe in an eternity where every tear will be wiped away.