Two tiny holes, one for each eye. They gush with salty moisture doing much to cleanse and protect. How amazing is our God; He knew our eyes would need to be washed --- He knew...
My tiny tear ducts have been working over time of late, goodness they must surely be tired indeed. In any given stretch of 7 days they will find themselves working diligently at least 6 of those days. Oddly enough, this is quite abnormal for me. I'm not usually a "crier". My normal "mode of operation" is to hold my emotions steady until in a quiet, private place. Then i'll cry with my Abba. I'm a closet crier ---- i prefer tears in solitude.
There was a long season in my earlier years that i lost the ability to cry. For several years, not a tear crossed my crisp eyes. I once asked my Pop, if he thought there might be something wrong with me since the emotions were there, but my heart held them isolated, hidden from others. My wise Pop said something like, "Pray and ask God to give you tears, and He will bring you up out of the dry place you are now in." And so i did. It was still several years later, but the season of dryness left, and tears once again began to flow. It seems that now, my over zealous tear ducts are pouring out the tears they saved back during those dry years long ago.
It's interesting that tears are salty. But more than interesting, it is important to grasp the value, the purpose, in having salty tears.
Why are tears salty?
"Tears are salty because salt heals and kills bacteria. Many infections
and germs enter our body through our eyes. They tell you to gargle with salt water when you have a sore throat or an ulcer because the salt helps heal and is a natural bacteria killer. It is a trait designed to protect our delicate eyes by fighting the entrance of bacteria." (answer found at Yahoo.answers)
Salty tears sting a bit more than salt-less tears would ----- but God knew our eyes would need to be "cleaned" and protected. He knew we would see things that needed to be washed away, and it would take tears to do the job. He knew our eyes would need to be protected from tiny particles that would damage them. Thankfully, salty tears stand guard, always ready to flush and cleanse.
Good logical answers for a reasonable human-sized question.
But if we view the same question from a God-angle, we get a deeper revelation about the goodness of our Creator. The Bible tells us that God's children are to be Salt and Light in this flavorless, dark world. How beautiful that our tears are laced with salt; salt that can heal, salt that can protect. And after those salty tears have flushed out our troubles, we are much more able to see the light again. When my heart is heavy and my eyes remain dry ---- the Light is harder to see.
Salty tears help wash a broken heart.
Salty souls need cleansing in a broken world.
This all coming from a lady who would not be called a "crier" by those who know her well. Let me note here that i believe we can overindulge in tears - which leads to self-pity and despondency. In this writing i'm not promoting any such thing. I'm only pondering on healthy tears given by God to bring healing and protection. Without these healthy tears we can become hardened, cold, bitter, disengaged, and find ourselves disconnected from the world around us where God has called us to be His Salt and Light.
This phenomenon of tears flooding my eyes on a daily basis, has captured my attention (it's unavoidable). And so i've dug into God's Word to see what HE has to say about tears. i've learned that my Abba:
-lists my tears on His scroll
-can bring joy after the giving of my tears
-can answer my tearful prayers in powerful ways
-my tears can accompany my seeking of the Lord
-my tears can become a gift to my Savior
-tears can be accompanied with humility in service to the Lord
-Jesus cried out to the Father with tears and was heard because of His reverent submission
-Jesus wept too over love for others
Psalm 56:8 "Record my misery; list my tears on your scroll- are they not in your record?"
Psalm 199:136 "Streams of tears flow from my eyes, for your law is not obeyed."
Psalm 126:5 "Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy."
Isaiah 38:5 “Go and tell Hezekiah, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will add fifteen years to your life.'"
Jeremiah 50:4 “'In those days, at that time,' declares the Lord, 'the people of Israel and the people of Judah together will go in tears to seek the Lord their God.'"
Luke 7:38 "As
she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet
with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and
poured perfume on them."
Acts 20:19 "I served the Lord with great humility and with tears and in the midst of severe testing by the plots of my Jewish opponents."
Hebrews 5:7 "During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission."
John 11:35 "Jesus wept."
How moved i am to know that Jesus's prayers in Gethsemane were accompanied with tears and sweat mingled with blood. (Interesting that sweat too is Salty). He knew what God was asking of Him, He knew what lay ahead of Him -- and He wept asking if there could be another way. But He was reverently submissive to do the Father's will. He was not punished for having tears. He was strengthened by the Father to accomplish what He was being called to do. Perhaps for our Jesus, just as for us, the flooding out of the tears helped heal what was aching and protected Him from the death filled lies of the deceiver.
Our Mighty Jehovah embraces our prayer-filled tears and strengthens us in our weakness. He responds with joy and life and is pleased with us even if tears cover our path of obedience.
There are many tears these days ----- and there should be -----
i weep over moving away from those i hold so dear to my heart --- but i will obey - my Savior's grace says it is ok that my path is tear-soaked for now
i weep for my precious sister - i hold her in my heart, and lift her to my Father -- as she battles against the enemy of cancer -- she is a beautiful warrior clinging to our Abba --- prayers of healing dripping with tears at the feet of the Healer
i weep for the wounded ---- who do not know the healer
i weep for the lost --- who could spend ETERNITY in hell if the eyes of their soul are not opened
i weep for those in bondage --- not knowing the intense pain they cause to everyone around them
i weep for those who love ---- those bound in invisible chains
i weep for the lady i had never met but who died last week --- ending her own life --- she left this place without knowing the Savior --- oh GOD...
i weep for the one who loves themselves more than God --- and demands to be "worshiped" with continual attention
i weep for the ones who suffer in the hands of evil ---
i weep for the ones who do not care
and weeping for a season, into God's robes and at His feet ---- seems to be the only right response.
Our Lord can do much --- with our tears and our obedience.
©2012 Donna Taylor/Reaching for the Robe
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