Don’t be afraid of your tears

I’ve never really been much of a crier. That is, until recent years. I remember the first time I cried, and when I say cried, it was ugly.

I was with a group of new friends at our home group one evening when one lady quietly told me she had a dream where she saw me crying. It did something deep inside me.

To the outside world, barely anyone had ever seen me cry. But

my Jesus knew the well of tears stored up inside me

Tears that were only sometimes shed in secret. El Roi, the God who sees, saw me.

I hurried to get myself out of the house, but as I was trying to leave, two beautiful women of God came around me. They ushered me into the lounge. Sitting on a single chair, it felt like a throne. A moment with my Heavenly Father. And I cried. I wept deep, ugly tears. I couldn’t even utter a word.

My friends didn’t need an explanation. They didn’t need to know a thing. They just sat with me and prayed as I cried, and cried, and cried. From that moment on, I embarked on a journey of allowing myself the freedom to cry.

They say tears are healing, and I never really understood that until I began this journey. If someone prayed for me, I would cry. If I prayed for someone, I would cry. When I worshipped, I would cry. If I felt upset about something, I would cry. If I saw something beautiful, I would cry.

Recently, someone commented that I am “such a crier”. They don’t know my story. This is new. This is raw. This is beautiful. This is sacred.

It got me thinking about tears. Scripture tells us that God collects our tears. They matter to Him.

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)

Why would God collect our tears?

One day, I stumbled upon the work of Rose-Lynn Fisher. Not only do you need to look at her photographs, you need to read her article The Topography of Tears. She photographed tears under a microscope and discovered that tears tell different stories. Tears of grief look different to tears of joy. Even tears from cutting an onion look different.

Our Father God collects our tears because they are precious.

Our tears tell a story

He doesn’t want us to hold them back. Each tear tells a story. Of course, there is a time and a place, but He doesn’t want those tears bottled up inside us. He invites us to release our tears so that He can collect them, because these tears tell a beautiful story. They tell the story He is writing in us.

We often hear the scripture from Nehemiah 8:10, “The joy of the Lord is your strength.” Recently, I felt prompted to look more deeply at that verse.

This was written during a time when Jerusalem’s walls had just been rebuilt under Nehemiah. The physical restoration was largely complete, but spiritual renewal was now needed. The people gathered at the Water Gate and Ezra read the Law of Moses. He read it publicly, and the Levites explained its meaning so everyone could understand.

As the Law was explained, the people began to weep.

Then Nehemiah and the leaders said to them:

Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.
Nehemiah 8:10

These words were spoken in the context of tears. The people were likely weeping out of conviction, realising how far they and their ancestors had strayed from the Lord.

This day was likely connected to the Feast of Trumpets (Leviticus 23:23–25), a holy day meant for worship and celebration, not mourning. While repentance is important, this moment was about covenant renewal and grace, not despair. It marked a turning point, from grief to joyful obedience and generosity.

Our tears tell a story.

There is a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance.”
Ecclesiastes 3:4

Never be afraid of your tears. Allow them to come, because God is writing your story.

He promises to work all things together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).

So whether the tears you cry come from grief, repentance, sorrow, joy, or overwhelm, maybe let them come next time. Remember,

God is recording your beautiful, sacred, and precious story

Even tears of sorrow. Even tears of repentance. Just like in Nehemiah, the people did not need to remain in grief because restoration had come. He didn’t say ‘do not cry’, he said ‘do not grieve’. Maybe in that moment their tears changed under the microscope from grief to joy, we never know. We do know that they moved into knowing such strength because of the joy that would have flooded them as they considered what the Lord had done for them.

He sees. He knows. And He is writing your story.

So next time tears come, don’t carry it alone. Sit with God. Sit with safe people. Allow your tears to tell their story, trusting that God is at work in every part of it.