How are You Investing Your Tears?

My good friend, Carolyn M., shared something with me a couple of days ago, and I knew right then and there that I had to blog about it. (It's all good. I got her permission to do this.) We were talking about how she has seen a transformation in her ability to rest and restore peace to her life once she answered this crucial question that the Holy Spirit posed to her: 

Are you crying or crying out? 

In a nutshell, are you whining or are you worshipping. When you whine, you’re only focused on the problem. But when you worship (cry out), you’re connecting to The One who helps you to overcome your problems. Therein lies the difference in how many of us respond to the ups and downs of life. This resonated with me on such a deep level. I had entertained a similar thought just a few days before when I pondered how often we waste our tears on things that have no redeeming value. 

Think about it. How often have you cried over the loss of a relationship that took more from you than it deposited? How many times have you pouted when you simply didn’t get your way? How many times have you made a big stink over something that really wasn’t that big of a deal once you thought about it?

I’ll be the first to raise my hand and admit that I’ve been guilty of these things and more. But thanks be to God, I came into the understanding that my tears are an investment. As a matter of fact, they are so valuable that God actually collects them!

“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

Over time, I came to realize that my tears are not meant to be trifled away on issues that are actually a NON-FACTOR in my life’s purpose. So what, they don’t want to be my friend anymore. So what, I didn’t get the house. So what, things didn’t turn out like I expected. No more tears on that stuff!

The only crying I want to do is the kind that counts, not the kind that is driven by selfish desires and immature rants. I want to invest my tears in soulful cries of sincere gratitude as God overwhelms me with his eternal love and faithfulness. I want to sow my tears into passionate prayers over the lost souls in my family and community. I want my heart to stay unselfish enough to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep (Rom. 12:15). Those are the tears that will water the seeds of righteousness and bring them into full fruition in my life, just as God intended.

So what are you crying about?