There are some crazy pregnancy food cravings out there, y’all! Pickles dipped in brownie mix. Cheese and peanut butter sandwiches. Drinking pickle juice like it’s Kool-Aid. Broccoli and mint jelly sandwich. Cheese Whiz and jelly. Fries with mustard and hot sauce. Soap. Self-rising flour and crushed ice.
Gross? Yes. But all of these are documented crazy pregnancy cravings.
But what about a craving for tears? Have you ever been so down and discouraged that the only thing you could stomach was the saltiness of your own tears? You aren’t alone.
Psalm 42 says, “Day and night I have only tears for food … Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad?”
Maybe your schedule has you stretched too thin. It seems you haven’t seen your family in months. Maybe criticism is so thick and painful you can’t see any light on the other side of that darkness. Maybe your boss has been really tough this week. You’re hurt. You’re discouraged. Maybe you are choked by isolation and loneliness. You feel that you can turn to no one, talk to no one, share with no one.
Your heart may be broken. You may only have tears for food right now, but you are not alone. The Psalmist was there. I’ve certainly been there. Most of us have been there at one point or another. And, most importantly, God, the collector of our tears, is with you even now.
Just remember, through the ups and downs of your journey, you must continue to feel. Don’t allow tough situations and harsh critics to get the best of you and callous your heart. I know that tears are painful, and I’ve lived in fear that if I allowed the floodgates of emotion to open, the tears might not stop. But let me tell you what is even scarier–numbness is.
Instead, let God bring hope and healing to your hurting heart.
And be encouraged. Psalm 42 goes on to say, “Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again–my Savior and my God!”