Cry Me a River

My husband and I watched a program on the Science channel about the human body. Some amazing facts about this ‘earth suit’ we walk around in. For instance, the average person takes 5 million steps a year, and will cry 17 gallons of tears in a life-time. 17 gallons!

What’s all the tears about? Some are from laughter and joy, some from compassion and being moved by love, but these tears are a small percentage in comparison to the tears we will cry from injury, pain and heartache during our life.

Actually, tears are a good thing. Crying is a release for stored up emotion. And certainly some personalities cry more easily when moved emotionally, than others. But, 17 gallons of tears. Whew! Just line up 17 gallons of milk on a counter in your mind to get a visual of just how many tears that is. Bear in mind, this ‘statistic’ is the average, so some of us will cry even more than this amount. Some probably think they’ve already ‘cried a river.’

Before we learn to talk, tears are one of the few ways we have of communicating. Sometimes, parents minimize their child’s tears, even ignore them, because they ‘cry all the time’. But, there’s a reason for them, which needs attention, even if the tears are only to get attention. Tears can prove our patience.

It’s very interesting that God says our tears are stored up in heaven, in other words, noticed and remembered. And also, that when we are in heaven there will be no more tears. This suggests that God did not intend that we cry, but because He knew life here on earth would deliver some strong blows to the hearts and souls of man, He gave us the ability to release the pressure through tears.

So, allow yourself to utilize this ‘tool’ to relieve the stresses of life. Go ahead, cry. And lend a shoulder or handkerchief to another whose tears are flowing. It’s part of our humanity.

And men, that goes for you, too.