Tears

You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book. Psalm 56:8 NLT

Did you know that the average adult produces a continual supply of basal tears at a rate of 1.2 microliters per minute (this does not count the tears we shed when we cry or slice onions)? This amounts to approximately 1.7 liters per day, or roughly half a gallon. The American Academy of Ophthalmology estimates that a person’s total tear volume can range from 15 to 30 gallons annually. 

I researched all this because today, I am going to surgery for blocked tear ducts in my right eye. Although my eyes produce tears, they have nowhere to go but down my cheek. This condition has been going on for nearly a year, so I finally caved and scheduled a dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR). This procedure creates a new drainage pathway from the tear sac to the inside of the nose to relieve the blockage. Please pray for me as this procedure takes nearly an hour under general anesthesia, and I am extremely nervous about it.

But what about those tears at the tomb of a loved one? What about those tears of anguish, pain, or disappointment that you shed in the privacy of your own home? Do you ever feel that they just keep coming without an end in sight? Do you feel stuck, overwhelmed, or alone with your sadness? Take heart, my friend, Jesus keeps track of all your tears.

They are never wasted, never forgotten, never meaningless to God. No matter whether you cry half a gallon of tears today or several gallons, every single one of them matters to your heavenly Father.

Because you matter to Him.