Smiles Over Tears

Bible Reading: Ecclesiastes 3:1-4; John 11:32-36

“Smile nice.” Tiffany’s mom nudged her shoulder. “It’s for your dad, so look at the camera and smile.”

Tiffany forced a smile to her face, but she wasn’t happy.

Later that day, Tiffany was thinking about her dad as she sat down to dinner with her mom and brother. Tears filled her eyes as she thought about how far away he was and that he wouldn’t be home for Thanksgiving. “Do you think Dad’s eating right now too?” She looked at her mom.

“Are you crying?” Her brother picked up his fork.

“There’s no reason to cry,” Mom said. “Your dad asked you to be brave, Tiffany. Be brave for him.”

Tiffany tried to blink away her tears. Her dad was a soldier. He was brave enough to fight. Mom was right. She shouldn’t cry.

Tiffany’s aunt came over later and found Tiffany in her room. Tiffany was staring at a picture printed in her Bible that she didn’t understand. She was frowning down at it when Aunt Eve came in.

“What are you looking at?” Aunt Eve asked.

Tiffany ran her finger over the face on the page. “Why is Jesus frowning?”

“What do you mean?” asked Aunt Eve.

“We’re supposed to smile,” Tiffany said. “And be happy no matter what. Why isn’t Jesus happy here?”

Her aunt sat down beside her. “Who says you’re supposed to be happy all the time?”

“My mom,” Tiffany said. “My brother. My dad when he’s home.”

Aunt Eve’s forehead wrinkled. “Well, they’re wrong. There’s nothing wrong with being serious or sad sometimes.”

“Or crying?” Tiffany asked quietly.

“Or crying,” Aunt Eve said. She peered at the picture in Tiffany’s Bible. “Actually, the reason Jesus is frowning in that picture is because He felt sad. His friend Lazarus had just died, and the Bible says Jesus cried.” She pointed to a verse on the opposite page. “See? It says here, ‘Jesus wept.’”

“Jesus cried?” Tiffany shook her head. “No way!”

“He did,” Aunt Eve said. “There’s nothing wrong with getting emotional, Tiff. We all need to cry sometimes. Jesus understands how we feel, and He wants us to share our sorrows with Him. He can handle our tears, and He’s always there to comfort us.”

-Emily Acker

How About You?

When you feel sad, do you try to hide it? Have you ever forced a smile just to make other people happy? You don’t have to hide your tears from God. Jesus knows exactly how you feel because He experienced sorrow too. Tell Him why you’re sad so He can comfort you and be with you as you cry.

Today’s Key Verse: Psalm 56:8 Put my tears into Your bottle; are they not in Your book? (NKJV)

Today’s Key Thought:

It’s okay to cry