Not Alone in Our Tears by Alan Anderson

 

I pondered this blog post for days before thoughts moved on to the page. The chaplain in me could not shake a certain part of life going through my mind therefore I decided to write the following.

 

Tears are not Wasted

 

A sad event not long ago reminded me of the brevity of life. This also reminded me  not to take life for granted. Happy anticipation may turn to crushed plans and the flow of tears. Hugs, cuddles, and kisses looked forward to now replaced by seemed never ending tears.

 

Dear writer and reader friends how are you really doing in your life right now? What impact has the Covid pandemic had on you? Think about this illness and how it has acted like an indiscriminate psychopath. Tears may have fallen as an expression of what this has meant to you. 

 

Perhaps another event or experience entered your life and rattled you. You are faced with a decision to give in to the sharp blade of despair. The other choice is to throw oneself on the mercy, the comfort, the help of God. 

 

“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever” John 14:16—NIV 

 

God Knows Our Tears

 

"Record my misery; list my tears on your scroll — are they not in your record?”—Psalm 56:8 NIV.

 

My friends, perhaps in your not-too-distant past you shed tears over your lot in life. In the day-to-day activities in life tears may have grabbed you by the throat as if to choke you. Guess what? God knows all about your tears. 

 

There are times my words are tears. They pour on to the page to reach out and hug those who read them, to hold them, to help their souls. Each tear and word have meaning. They are not thrown on a scrap heap in life, and neither are we. God sees our tears and collects them. He does not dismiss them and does not dismiss us. Our tears are not wasted. 

 

Time for a Deep Breath

 

If you are anything like me you are ready for a deep breath in life, so to speak. Often over the past couple of years people have indicated they are tired of the added burdens the pandemic has brought to them. Constant burdens and feeling tired can stifle one. We need time to breathe, to take a break and dry our tears. 

 

Church

Spending time with God’s people in church helps me take a break from the rest of life. The partaking of the Eucharist, Holy Communion, is the central reason we gather as believers in church. As an Orthodox Christian receiving the eucharist on a weekly basis helps ground one in the faith. The believers we gather with, the prayers, the hymns, the icons, all encourage us to live and help each other in life. 

 

Nature

Nature also helps me take a deep breath. Nature is like God’s blanket to soothe our exhausted emotions. I love spring and these days the trees are dressing in their finest green. Daffodils and tulips poke their heads through the warm topsoil to say hello. Hummingbirds return and zoom around like tiny rockets. The time for warm spring walks is here. A time to hold each other’s hands. A time to breathe in the comfort of God and be thankful for His help. 

 

“So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?”—Hebrews 13:6.

 

Dear heart, you are not alone in your tears.

 

 

Alan lives in Deroche, B.C. with his wife, Terry. He contributed stories to Good Grief People by Angel Hope Publishing, 2017; Story by Story: The Power of a Writer, Unstoppable Writers Publishing, 2018; Easter Stories & More by InScribe Christian Writers’ Fellowship, 2021. Alan periodically writes articles for FellowScript Magazine. He has written posts for our InScribe blog since 2015. Blog: https://scarredjoy.ca.