Toothfairy

My daughter found a little box that rattled as we were cleaning through an old bookshelf one day before a move. She shook it with curiosity as she asked me what was inside. When I told her to open it, she gasped at the sight of tiny baby teeth and quickly changed her reaction when she realized they were her baby teeth.

"You kept these...all this time...and you still have them," she said through a smile.

I think of this story when I read Psalm 56:8.

"You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book."

At first our children might think the Tooth Fairy is real and she carries each tooth away to add to her collection. As they mature they learn the truth and probably think we throw them away. Imagine how special and accepted children feel when they are presented with these tokens of love and acceptance.

"You have collected all
my tears in your bottle."

Consider for a moment how incredible it will be to walk with God into His office to see shelf after shelf of bottles. Each bottle is its own size. Think about it. Some cry many tears. Others hardly cry. For this reason, the bottles must be different sizes. Each bottle is perfectly labeled. (I have been told label makers are in heaven so perhaps for this purpose).

I am thankful God cherishes me so genuinely to not only keep each tear, but also record each one. Each and every tear we think falls to the ground, each tear that wets our pillow and even those that slide down our face when laughter squeezes them out. Each and every tear God keeps because He adores each of His children and practices a devoted watchfulness for us. Now think for a moment what God did with the tears Jesus shed. I think they are the most dramatic display in heaven treasured in the most ornate bottle as a constant reminder of the perfect sacrifice.

I sometimes reflect on a tearful Jesus when I feel I can't go on. Stories in the Bible describe Jesus crying when his grief distressed Him, agony afflicted Him and the pain was too much to manage. Despite the pain, difficulty and grief Jesus carried on. I am sincerely overwhelmed with gratitude for this illustration of Jesus' human form because it reminds me He persevered. He never gave up. He fought the most impressive fight so we are able to see beautiful scripture like this come to life one day. He created hope for us.

Lord, during this Thanksgiving time of year I thank you for your unfailing love. I pray today you would help the unloved, the struggling and the tired feel loved. Help us to be reminded of Jesus' tears as motivation to pick ourselves up and heal with the help of prayer and the Holy Spirit. Thank you for the beauty and hope you bring to our lives. May our thankfulness flood within us to share your great name with others so they too may be richly blessed. Amen.

No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow - not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below - indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. -Romans 8:37-39