I received a message from someone experiencing deep pain. She asked if it was okay to cry. I told her that God will wipe every tear from our eyes in heaven; would He not also see the ones we shed here on earth?
Tears from crying are a behavior unique to humans. Animals may cry out when in pain, like a cat yelping when its tail is stepped on, but they don’t shed tears. The emotion that causes tears is exclusive to humans because we are made in God’s image, so tears can be seen as reflecting our spiritual connection with God. Our emotions and tears mirror God’s own nature, which is full of emotion.
While tears may have a physical cause, like breaking a bone, they can also come from deep joy, a repentant heart, or from someone who has experienced God’s touch in a powerful way. Tears are a beautiful way to show emotion, and sometimes we just need to cry.
Did you know that crying is a natural way to relieve stress? Tears release endorphins, which improve your mood. In fact, suppressing our sadness and tears can lead to increased stress and interfere with our sleep.
Many of us fear shedding tears—especially in front of others. There are many reasons why we hold back. We don’t want to appear weak or vulnerable. Sometimes, we get caught up in thinking that our tears or sadness mean we are not strong believers, and that the special joy and powerful faith we’re all supposed to have are missing because we cry.
Tears are Healthy
But tears and crying are often a healthy way we can communicate with God, express our feelings to others, and reach out. So, let’s not be ashamed of our tears but consider them a gift from God. After all, God gave us the ability to cry, and tears give our griefs and joys a way to be expressed. And remember, tears are not permanent. Psalm 30:5b says, “Weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning” (NIV).
And as for our tears, we see God listening to and caring for individuals’ tears, even storing them in a bottle and counting them. Our great and compassionate God does not simply dismiss our pain but remembers it. Is there a literal bottle that God keeps, or is this a poetic way of saying how much He cares—that He does not forget our sorrows but counts them because each drop is precious to Him?
Psalm 56:8 says, You have kept count of my wandering; you put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book?
Crying and tears are natural parts of life. The first thing we did after being born was cry, right? And how many tears have we shed since then—after a bad fall, during fights with jealous siblings, when we got caught doing something wrong, when others teased us, or when we felt misunderstood? Tears have been a part of everyone’s experience.
But let’s explore how these tears were linked to blessings.
The Women who Cried
Let’s first look at the women who cried and see how much God cared. We remember Hagar; her weeping drew the Angel of the Lord to come and offer her and Ishmael comfort. There’s a clever play on words here—the child’s name? Ishmael, which means God hears. The Scripture says that God heard the voice of the boy—the groans, the fear, and despair. Tears move God.
Along with Hagar, we have Leah, and while the description of her is “tendered eye,” many ideas emerge about what that might mean. Rashi, an important Bible commentator and rabbi, said that ‘tendered eye’ meant she cried a lot. And why might she have cried so much?
She might have felt betrayed and unloved by her father, who used her as leverage to make Jacob work another seven years. She was also unloved by Jacob. But God watched over Leah—her womb was opened first; she bore more children, and from one of them came the line of Judah, the messianic line. Is that worth the tears?
Hannah is another who cried before Eli, the High Priest, and those tears brought the first prophet, Samuel.
Mary Magdalene wept outside Yeshua’s empty tomb. She was the first to see the resurrected Messiah. What a blessing!
Consider the sinful woman who anointed Yeshua’s feet with her tears. Can you imagine the honor of being remembered for this act, where her tears washed His feet? Her tears would be remembered in such a beautiful way.
Yeshua’s Tears
And finally, let us consider a man—Yeshua, our God-Hero. Jesus wept twice. Do you remember when?
John 11:35 at the tomb: Jesus wept. It’s the shortest verse in the Bible in English. It shows the deep compassion He has for His brethren and the sorrow He feels over death caused by sin. If tears were a sign of weakness, consider what Jesus will do next. First, He weeps, then He raises Lazarus. We might think of crying as a sign of weakness, but observe the power that follows. The tears seem like a gentle prelude to an incredible display of power. From seeming weakness to mastery over death and the power of resurrection—both tears and the resurrection reveal His incredible love for us.
Let’s examine the second time Yeshua shed tears. He stood on the Mount of Olives and wept for the future suffering of the Jewish nation, as if He were reviewing all that is written in Deuteronomy 28 and Leviticus 26 concerning the curses that would come upon this nation after their rejection. But it is those tears that led to something incredible. Those tears became the foundation for His walk to the cross. And it was because of the joy set before him that he was able to endure the cross and the shame, and then sit down at the right hand of God’s throne. Jesus’ weeping gave way to the power of joy.
And “those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy”. (Psalm 126:5)
Isaiah 61:3 reminds us that though we suffer now, and cry and weep because of sin, there will be a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. We overcomers will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of His splendor.
Are tears truly a sign of weakness? While tears may reveal vulnerability, isn’t it humbling to share this with others? Our weakness then highlights Messiah’s strength in our lives. When we are weak, then He is made strong. 2Cor. 12:10b.