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TEARS

Around 40 bathtubs full of tears are cried in Germany each day. Somebody worked this out because he wanted to know exactly how many tears are cried. In order to make a litre of tear fluid, you need 66000 single tears. He worked this out as well. 184 800 000 tears are in these bathtubs, which are cried out every day in Germany.

Tears of pure happiness.
Tears of deep grief.
Crying full of pain.
Tears of complete pity.
Emotional tears.
Tears of anger and disappointment.
Tears of highest devotion.
Tears of despair.
Tears of joy.
Or the tears simply run from laughing and high spirits.

I believe that tears are a gift from God because they help us live – without any facades. We are seldom more real and truthful than in the moments when the tears flow. Those who can cry, live more intensively. Those who can cry, stand in the middle of life. They stand in the middle of their own pain and in the middle of their own happiness.

However the un-cried tears, they lie deep in the stomach, give us headaches or even depression. Those who swallow their own tears, do not do themselves any favours. This is a good piece of advice which is now also being spread through the health system as a healthy tip.

However if I need to cry my eyes out, I need something more than the good advice that crying is healthy. I need someone who sympathises and who does not find my tears embarrassing. Someone, who I cry in front of.

„God collects my tears in a jar. Without a doubt, you count them.“

(Psalm 56,9)

God counts my tears, every single one, and collects them in a jar. None of them are lost, not a single tear is cried in vain. God understands the language of my tears, even beyond all words.

A legend tells us that God himself cried as Adam and Eve left paradise into a life beyond Eden. With his hand, which was still damp from his tears, he stroked both of their eyes and said: „I give you the gift of tears for your life, which will be your efforts for the grief, for the pain, for fear and sadness and for joy and happiness. I give you the gift of tears so that you remain vivid.“

Our tears - a gift from God. We should not swallow them. We should let them flow when it is time so that we remain vivid and healthy in body and soul.

An entry by Sabine Deppe.