Man crying for joy.

Thank you, Lord, for tears: They help wash our eyes and our heart, they wash our mind and clear our thoughts.

The Greeks call it catharsis, a purging or a purifying. Sorrow was purifying and edifying and brought out the real motives and the real values. Thank God that He and His service are not all sorrow and tragedy, but He does give us a few trials and a few testings and a few hard things to go through to bring out the sweetness and the best in us.

Like a giant hand taking the honeycomb and squeezing it, and out comes the honey. Like Moses smiting the rock--it hurt the rock, but out came the water! (Exo.17:6) Like a beautiful flower pressed and crushed, but out comes the perfume! Like the beautiful music that comes from the throat of the bird--almost as though in pain, yet it comes forth with song. We learn a lot through sorrow, and some of the most precious lessons you will learn from the Lord come out of deep dark experiences.


"He gives me joy in place of sorrow.
He gives me love that casts out fear.
He gives me sunshine for my shadow,
And beauty for ashes dear!"

--"O Joy that seekest me through pain,
I cannot close my heart to Thee;
I trace the rainbow through the rain,
Andfeel the promise not in vain,
That Morn shall tearless be."
Deep Truths