Tears in a Bottle

"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

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I've been thinking about how God collects our tears in a bottle, and keeps record of every one that falls. We are that precious to Him, that He bends to us, cups our cheeks with His scarred hands, and saves our tears…

It always breaks my heart to see my baby girl cry, even when she's been naughty. I hate seeing her precious eyes overflow with big teardrops, and her arms reach out for me. She longs for me to comfort her, but sometimes, I just can't. I have to let her learn, I have to let her experience life, knowing I can't keep her in a bubble, and sometimes her pain is just necessary, something I can't take away…

It must break God's heart too, to see His children reach out in agony, with tears streaming down our faces, only to know that He has to let us hurt for a while. There's growing to do, refining that only comes by fire. His love for us is so great, that He has to let us experience life, even when it hurts…

But God is able to do what no other parent can. He is able to wipe away every last tear, and declare: "No more." He can heal every hurt, right every wrong, and restore our broken hearts. He can heal us, and promises to heal us, when the time is right…

And until then, He goes on keeping record. Watching us, hovering over us, moving away obstacles that may cause us harm, and allows us to walk through life, experiencing pain, but still there with His arms stretched wide, ready to catch us…

He is a good, good Father. Even when all we can see is the pain, He remains good. His tenderness and affection for us never changes, and His bottle of tears never overflows, because eventually, He comes to us, scoops us up in His arms, and whispers: "Enough, child, hush now, Daddy's here."

God did that for my precious Mom, and He'll do the same for me, when the time is right…