I can think of lots of reasons for pain and the tears that come with it. Physical ones like handicaps, illnesses or injuries. Accidental ones – someone’s sharp edges slam into mine. On-purpose ones when people mean to hurt. Then there are the hurts that are despicable – things no one should even think about doing, but they do. Every life since Adam has included some marks of his curse. Why doesn’t God stop it? Or, at least,. make His children immune?
Paul talked of the sufferings of Christ flowing over into our lives. I’ve often wondered what he meant by it. Could it include our tears? Could living with sin and the results of it be part of sharing in the suffering of Christ? If that’s true then it isn’t just pain and they aren’t just tears – they’re connected to Christ and His suffering. And if they’re connected then they must have the same purpose – the same reason why.
The reason? His children. The world continues as it is because one of God’s children still needs to come to Him. He asks us to continue on and to wait with Him.
An old Michael Card song about the crucifixion said “No one was there to wipe the tears that flowed from the holy eyes of God.” Have you ever thought about God hurting with your hurt and crying with you? He knows exactly what He asks of us. He asked it of Himself.
He hurts with our hurt and He longs to comfort us. Go to Him and stay close to Him. And know for sure, that as soon as His last child enters the family, He will be here. He won’t wait even a second longer. He won’t leave room for any unnecessary pain. Or a single useless tear.
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. (2 Cor 1:3-5)
Micki, 2003