God Doesn’t Waste Tears

I just finished having a good old fashioned cry. I spent most of my adult life pushing down the pain and holding back my tears so that I could make everyone, including myself, believe that my life was beautiful, when in reality it was painful, confusing, and scary. Now that I am no longer living a secret life of fear and shame, I am free to cry. I didn’t even have a bad day. I spent most of it at job that I really enjoy. I have a comfortable roof over my head and my belly is full of grilled fish and guacamole. I am safe. I am free. I am delivered. But sometimes I get to thinking about the choices I made when I was a naive nineteen year old, and regret comes knocking on the door of my heart. I wish I had chosen differently. I wish I hadn’t given so many years to a batterer. I wish I had married a loving man. I wish I had an intact family. So I give the regret and lost dreams to Jesus, and I cry. When my cry fest came to an end I noticed that my face was covered with a grainy substance. I ran my fingers across my cheeks and I rubbed he substance between my fingers. It was salt. The salt from my tears. And then it hit me. God doesn’t waste tears. Just think about all the amazing things that can be done with salt…

Salt is used to soothe aching muscles…
Soaking in a warm bath of epsom salts is a sure fire way to soothe the body and restore aching muscles. The heart is the most important muscle in the body. After an episode of battering – whether verbal, psychological, or even physical, the heart is the muscle that hurts the worst. And even if you are no longer in an abusive situation, the heart ache from the past often remains. The salt of your tears can help to heal this aching. As the tears roll down your cheeks Jesus will fulfill his ministry to the broken hearted, if you let him. He will sit with you and tenderly hold your hands in his as you cry. He will stroke your hair and tell you that what has been done to you is evil in his sight. He will tell you that he knows what it is like to be beaten and betrayed. He will promise you that someday he is going to make everything right, and he doesn’t lie. Your tears invite the presence of Jesus, and the presence of Jesus soothes an aching heart.

Salt is used to make fresh cut flowers last longer…
Adding a little salt to a vase of freshly cut flowers will help them to retain their beauty and fragrance. Likewise, the salt of your tears makes you even more beautiful and more fragrant. You are beautiful to God simply because you are his child. When you choose to receive his love, and love him in return, your relationship with him is a fragrant offering. Not only did Jesus pour out his blood to love you and heal you because he wants to set you free, but he did this so that you may be the instrument his of love and healing around the world. There is nothing like sorrow and sadness to soften the heart and broaden the capacity for compassion. As you cry the salt flows and it brings a lasting beauty and fragrance to your life.

Salt promotes healing…
Adding some salt to a little warm water and soaking a new ear piercing will promote faster healing, and there is nothing like the healing and release that comes from crying. When we are able to own the pain of the present or the past, and let it flow out of our lives through our salty tears, this promotes healing. I once heard it said that wholeness is brokenness owned and thus healed. When we allow ourselves to acknowledge our pain by crying instead of minimizing the abuse, and holding our tears back behind a dam of denial, we own our brokenness and are closer to wholeness. So let the salt water flow as you bring your wounds to the one who wants to bind them up with his love.

Salt enhances sweetness…
Have you ever had the pleasure of eating salted caramel? It is delicious. Ever wondered why salty popcorn and candy go really well together? It is because a little salt can enhance sweet things, making them even more sweet. The salt of our tears makes the presence of God even sweeter. The salt of our tears makes the truth of his great love for us even sweeter. The salt of our tears makes Christ’s victory over evil even sweeter. And the best part is that the salt of our tears makes our deliverance from abuse even sweeter. When we finally make a choice to grab a hold of Jesus and let him lead us to safety and freedom in his name, he trades our weeping for dancing. Tears of sorrow are replaced by tears of thanksgiving and joy when we realize how sweet it is to live free from fear and shame.

So the next time you feel tears welling up in your eyes, let it them flow. Run into the arms of Jesus and let the salt water roll down your cheeks because God doesn’t waste tears.

You have seen me tossing and turning through the night. You have collected all my tears and preserved them in your bottle! You have recorded every one in your book. Psalm 56:8