Daily Devotional for September 13, 2022
Catching Tears in Bottles
“Stop crying, Maddie.” Lizzy frowned at her sister. “You’re not a baby.”
“I want Mommy,” the little girl said, burying her face in their dad’s shoulder.
Lizzy stomped her foot on the floor. “Crying isn’t going to help anything!” She didn’t want to think about their mom. She was in the hospital getting better. It was easier just not to think about it.
“Lizzy,” Dad said. “Go get me an empty bottle, would you? From the recycling?”
“A bottle?” Lizzy frowned, but she turned and did what her dad asked. “What are you going to do with this?” She held out an empty water bottle.
“I’m going to try to catch Maddie’s tears,” Dad said.
“What?” Lizzy’s eyes widened, and she noticed that her sister stopped crying to turn and look at their dad.
“I’m going to try to catch them so I can remember them,” Dad said.
Maddie giggled. “What do you mean?”
“Yeah, Dad, what do you mean?” Lizzy moved to the couch.
“The Bible says that God notices our tears and remembers them.” Dad smiled as he put the bottle up by Maddie’s cheek, and the girl giggled. “The Bible talks about God catching our tears in a bottle.”
“It does?” Lizzy wrinkled her nose. “Why would He do that?”
“Because He loves us, and He cares when we cry,” Dad said, lowering the bottle from Maddie’s face. “There’s nothing wrong with crying. We all cry sometimes. Jesus understands that, and He wants to comfort us.”
“But…” Lizzy shook her head.
“Even I cry when I think about your mom and the accident. When I think about her all alone in the hospital.” Dad let out a long breath. “She’ll be out soon, but it’s okay to be sad while she’s gone.”
Dad kissed the top of Maddie’s head before reaching out and pulling Lizzy to his side. “God isn’t going to be mad if you cry. He cares about you. Jesus will see your tears, and His heart will be sad along with you.” He rested his head against hers. “God loves you much more than I do, even, and He loves your sister and your mom.”
-Emily Acker
How about you?
Do you feel embarrassed when you cry? Do you feel like you’re making people angry or that you’re going to be teased? God wants you to know that it is okay to cry and that He is with you and caring for you when you do. Don’t hold back your tears. Share them with Jesus so He can comfort you.
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