The Tears That Love Makes

"Mary stood outside at the tomb weeping." — John 20:11 Imagine two people at the same funeral. The first person sits dry-eyed. They are composed, dignified, and leave the service looking largely unaffected.

The second person is inconsolable — weeping in a way that seems disproportionate to those around them. Which person loved more deeply? The depth of grief is the measure of the depth of love. Mary wept at the tomb not because her faith had failed but because her love was real.

She had given everything to follow Jesus, and the cross had taken everything. Her tears were not a failure of discipleship — they were its most honest expression. Morrison's sermon on "Love and Grief" made a point that modern Christianity often misses: we have made it a virtue to process grief quickly and return to function.

We rush the weeping in the name of faith. But the shortest verse in Scripture is not an accident — "Jesus wept" (John 11:35). He wept for Lazarus even knowing He was about to raise him. He wept because love always weeps for what love loses, even temporarily.

The resurrection did not retroactively nullify the grief at the tomb. It redeemed it. Mary's tears were real — and they were honoured by the fact that the risen Jesus specifically chose to appear to her first.

Not to Peter. Not to John. To the weeping woman who had refused to leave the tomb. Grief is not the opposite of faith — it is one of faith's most honest expressions. Psalm 56:8 says God keeps our tears in a bottle.

He collects them. He numbers them. The grief of a trusting heart is precious to Him. Romans 12:15 commands us to "weep with those who weep" — not to explain away tears with theology, but to sit with them.

🪞 Reflect on this: Is there something you have grieved properly, or have you rushed past loss in the name of "faith"? Who in your life is currently weeping, and are you sitting with them or trying to fix them?

What would it mean to let God collect your tears rather than suppressing them? 👣 Take a Step Action: The Permission to Grieve If you are carrying unprocessed grief, give yourself permission today to feel it fully — alone with God.

If you know someone who is grieving, contact them today with no agenda except presence. Say: "Lord, I bring You my tears. I trust that You collect them. I trust that You can redeem even this loss into something I cannot yet see."