Even our tears are a blessing for it says in Psalm 126:5, “Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy!” Just like the seed goes into the ground, it later comes forth bearing fruit. We need to bring those hidden things into the light and water them with tears, so they can be life giving and produce a harvest of joy, blessing us and also others. Only as we face those things, painful though they be, can we move forward and as it says in the Message translation, “Those who planted their crops in despair will shout hurrahs at the harvest. So those who went off with heavy hearts will come home laughing, with armloads of blessing.”
What is more beautiful than the prodigal who returns to his father’s house. He finally realizes his sinful situation and reality hits, why not go home to my father. For many years we have had a large picture on our dining area wall of the Prodigal son returning that speaks to me time and time again. Most notable is that one of the Father’s hands is feminine and the other masculine. It is a reminder to me that we need the strong firm hand to recognize our sin, but we also need the softer hand of compassion and forgiveness. God’s love shows us how far we have strayed from Him, and his compassion is shown when we come back to Him. He is always waiting and watching for us, and some of those failings we have bring us back sooner rather than later as our tears open us to God’s cleansing work. Let us relinquish our control and let Him do His freeing work in our lives.
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