Whenever You Find Tears in Your Eyes

Whenever You Find Tears in Your Eyes

“Whenever you find tears in your eyes, especially unexpected tears, it is well to pay the closest attention. They are not only telling you something about the secret of who you are, but more often than not God is speaking to you through them of the mystery of where you have come from and where…you should go next.” (Frederick Buechner)

This is the quote of the week for me. I keep reading and re-reading it. Tasting the words, reflecting on the content. Pondering on the possibilites. Could tears be another gift from God?

Don’t lose your grip on Love and Loyalty. Tie them around your neck; carve their initials on your heart. Earn a reputation for living well in God’s eyes and the eyes of the people. Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track.
(Proverbs 3:3-6, MSG)

Random acts of kindness bring tears in my eyes. Or when someone has had a really rocky road and finally makes a breakthrough. Or when something simply good and beautiful happens.

It feels like getting a glimpse of heaven right then and there in the midst of everything. It feels like an angel caressing your cheek. It feels like heaven would touch our very core being.

Tears are indeed good. They tell you that somethings is real, good and worth of pursuing. Which direction then to take? You know that in your heart.

People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered;
Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.
If you are successful you will win some false friends and true enemies;
Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you’ve got anyway
You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God;
It was never between you and them anyway.
(Mother Theresa)

Be bold and keep on doing good. Be bold and love your neighbor. Be bold and listen to your God. Be bold and go and do as God directs you. Be bold and live for God!

Gracious God,
Thank you
for the gift of tears,
for your guidance,
for random acts of kindness.
Guide us
to know you more clearly,
to love you more dearly,
to follow you more nearly.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen

Q4U: What does bring tears in your eyes? What did you think of the quote?

And don’t forget the Wild Grace Blog Carnival next week! See Call for Submission! Be blessed!

22 thoughts on “Whenever You Find Tears in Your Eyes

  1. Wonderful quote! I really love this!! Worth keeping in mind every day. And talking about tears – having some experience of them (few buckets or so)- they van really be as useful as lauhter. Thank you again! And the Proverbs do the trick every time.

  2. Satu, thank you for commenting! Glad you loved the quote, too! 😀 Blessings to you!

  3. I love Frederick Buechner's writing. He writes with great "gentleness." And tears are a gift from God. Even Jesus wept.

  4. Glynn, thanks for feedback! I agree, Buechener writes with great "gentleness". Another favorite quote of his is "Listen, your life is happening. You are happening". Blessings to you!

  5. Love that Kent Keith poem~ Anyways. He finally published it in book form as the Paradoxical Commandments. 🙂 Strength in gentleness is a paradox. I'm a weeper. Never thought of it as a gift. Thx for the F.B. quote validating it. Thanks you for this.

  6. Kathleen,
    I like it, "strength in gentleness"! Thank you for your comments. I'll check out the book! Be blessed!

    Jeff,
    Thanks for your feedback! Glad that you liked the quote! Blessings!

  7. I thought the quote was beautiful. I'm very sensitive and loved the reasoning for our tears.

    Thank you, Mari-Anna.

  8. Awesome quote and I liked the way you weaved all the thoughts together in your post. Thanks for sharing!

    Peace,
    Jay

  9. Bridget,
    Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts. God bless you!

    Jay,
    Thank you for your generous feedback! Be blessed!

  10. That quote of Buechner's is one of my favorites.

    Another I've heard (and cannot at the moment remember the author's name) is: Tears are the words the heart cannot express.

    Lovely.

  11. Very good. Certainly will make me ponder when tears hit unexpectedly … instead of just grabbing a tissue and forcing myself to go on with life.

  12. Tears are words the heart can't express.

    Beautiful post — wonderful quote and the Proverb is awesome.

    Thank you for the inspiration!

  13. Maureen,
    Thanks for your feedback & sharing the quote! Lovely indeed! Be blessed!

    CaryJo,
    Glad to hear you're taking something away from this post. Thanks for your comment. Blessings!

    Louise,
    Thank you so much for your generous feedback. God bless you richly!

  14. I so love this quote. I cry all the time–happy and sad.

    Also love this from the Message:

    "You've kept track of my every toss and turn Through the sleepless nights,

    Each tear entered in your ledger, each ache written in your book." Psalm 56:8

  15. Sandra,
    Thank you so much for sharing the Bible verse! I think, it is time to start celebrating the gift of tears! Blessings to you!

  16. when i was a little girl, i used to hide in my bedroom (door closed) to cry. but the Lord has given me so much freedom in recognizing that my tears aren’t the enemy, they’re a precious, precious GIFT! so now as an adult, i tend to tear up rather easily — and b/c of that Freedom, it’s like every tear is worship.

  17. I am an Episcopal priest leading a retreat on Holy Tears this weekend. I’d love to share this blog post and use your prayer, with your permission (and of course giving you credit). I have done a good deal of academic work on tears, especially as portrayed in medieval literature. Great post!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

RSS
Follow by Email