Let Your Tears...Become Your Wings

[Timl1980]

My dear brothers and sisters...my dear friends...once again I come before you with something I sincerely hope will help each and every one of you when you find yourself... (figuratively speaking) ...at the bottom of the barrel...at the end of your tether...when you feel you are stuck between a proverbial rock...and the hard place which will never go away.

 

I cannot fix your problems...alas, I can barely deal daily with my own. Usually, I find myself coming home from work utterly exhausted and in one or more semi-permanent states of pain. Usually, I find myself returning home to my wife with the dregs of tears in my eyes...tears from knowing and fully understanding my own personal deficiencies...tears from understanding what a pathetic human being I am because, once again...I failed!

 

The specifics of said failures aren't important...usually they are as varied as the aches and pains that assail my body day by day...but they are there...and I feel them, nonetheless.

 

And yet...here I am... ready once again to wrestle and crank open the tap that controls all these emotions that assail me daily...and allow all of you inside my head...inside my heart...and to share two small scriptures that continue to keep me plowing forward...day after day after day.

 

I make no claims that these scriptures will illuminate you in a flash of brilliant spiritual light...we know them well...we have heard them over and over again...they have been pounded into our head repeatedly at meetings, assemblies and conventions...and yet...perhaps you haven't thought of them in the way that I have...perhaps you haven't made the one little connection between these two verses that was made for me so many years ago by a brother who listened to my tears while I sat in prison...a brother who told me that, one day...I would emerge from my trials a different person...a new man...a spiritual man.

 

These two verses are very personal to me...so when I tell you about the connection between them...please don't make light of it...please try to see it for what it is...to me...a once broken man sitting behind bars for a lifetime full of lies and hatred expressed through taking what belonged to others...and please take a moment to really think about what these verses can mean... to you.

 

Please...allow me to introduce you to two men who I'm sure you know very well...and yet...you may not have understood this one teeny tiny point that has forevermore settled itself into my brain...one small point which links these servants of Jehovah together in my mind and heart...a bright cord of brilliant electricity that crackles between them deep within me.

 

Who am I talking about?

 

Why...Isaiah and Peter, of course.

 

First...before I share these two verses...allow me to show you one small detail both of these men had in common...a trait that all of us share...a trait that I have already mentioned.

 

Luke 22:62: "And he went outside and wept bitterly."

 

Isaiah 22:4: "That is why I said: “Turn your eyes away from me, And I will weep bitterly. Do not insist on comforting me Over the destruction of the daughter of my people."

 

Yes, friends...as I am sure is no surprise to any of you...both of these men were faithful servants of Jehovah...and more to the point...both wept!

 

Oh Tim... that's no big deal...pshhhh 🙄...all of us know they wept...why, ALL of Jehovah's servants have wept at one time or another!!

 

Sigh...very true...all of us know these men wept...and yet...there are two verses which these men were inspired to write... (which a brother showed me years ago) ...that have left a DEEP impression on my heart...and now I will share them with you.

 

1 Peter 5:8: "Keep your senses, be watchful! Your adversary, the Devil, walks about like a roaring lion, seeking to devour someone."

 

Make no mistake about, my brothers and sisters...we are being stalked...all day...every day...by a cunning enemy who, according to the Watchtower, shows no compassion before he kills...and absolutely no remorse after he has consumed his kill. Completely and utterly vicious...the simple truth is...lions are both naturally stronger and faster than humans...and that is why the Watchtower has acknowledged that we have no business even attempting to fight or outrun this ruthless and savage enemy on our own strength.

 

And yet...as stupid as this may sound...as ridiculous and preposterous and insane as this may seem...we have the tendency to do exactly that.

 

Why do I think I can outrun a supernatural spirit being...on my own??

 

Sure...I may not intend to do it on my own...I may say I have Jehovah on my side...but do I really?

 

Sadly, my friends...sometimes I don't. And it's during those times that I have noticed a pattern of what I am doing...versus what I am not doing.

 

During those times...my ego puffs up like a pufferfish...I am on cloud nine thinking that I have some situation or trial handled...and I was clever enough to handle it on my own...and that's when the lion roars behind me...that's when I can suddenly feel its putrid breath on the back of my neck. In short, that's when I am not relying on Jehovah and HIS wisdom.

 

So... what about the other scripture? What about Isaiah...and why do weeping and tears matter to me SO much?

 

Please turn with me to the following verse:

 

Isaiah 40:31: "But those hoping in Jehovah will regain power. They will soar on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary; They will walk and not tire out.”

 

Friends...this may be obvious to all of you...but it wasn't to me...not back then...and I have never forgotten this simple lesson since:

 

A lion can run at speeds of upwards of 40 MPH... but an eagle can fly at speeds exceeding 80 MPH.

 

Friends...it's not even close...how sad is that?

 

We have the ability to take flight and leave that wicked disgusting lion in our dust...and yet here we sit...continuing over and over again to try to outrun him on our own... (sometimes).

 

Now...how do tears fit into all of this? Why do you need to cry...to beat Satan, his demons...and this wicked world that he controls?

 

Maybe you don't...maybe you can do it without tears...but this dear dear brother pointed out the following...and I found this so moving...so powerful...that I wrote it down...and I have never let go of his words since:

 

"Just as tears can signify moments of deep sorrow or weariness, they also represent a cleansing process. Through the act of crying and turning to Jehovah, we find renewal. Like eagles that soar high, those who wait on Jehovah are lifted above their hardships, finding new strength to continue their journey...tears shed in prayer and reliance on Jehovah become the wings that enable His servants to rise above their challenges. "

 

I'm not afraid to cry, friends.

 

But I am afraid that if I quit shedding tears in this wicked old system...I will lose flight...and Satan will snatch me out of the air and tear me apart.

 

I hope this has helped even one person understand why they cry...and why they should view it as a sign of strength... instead of the weakness Satan would like you to see it as.

[Ludwika]

16 minutes ago, Timl1980 said:

A lion can run at speeds of upwards of 40 MPH... but an eagle can fly at speeds exceeding 80 MPH

What a wonderful point! I'm going to write that down and share it too! Thank you! 

[hatcheckgirl]

2 hours ago, Timl1980 said:

Just as tears can signify moments of deep sorrow or weariness, they also represent a cleansing process. Through the act of crying and turning to Jehovah, we find renewal. Like eagles that soar high, those who wait on Jehovah are lifted above their hardships, finding new strength to continue their journey...tears shed in prayer and reliance on Jehovah become the wings that enable His servants to rise above their challenges. "

Thank you so much Tim 👍. Recently had this happen, and pondering over it now in hindsight, it was like I was on wings of an eagle overtaking the lion, as you described poetically.

 

I can only imagine that this is proved true time and time again for our brothers in Russia, Ukraine, Eritrea and other places of conflict and persecution. Only Jehovah keeps them going, no matter their tears and fears. ❤️

[hatcheckgirl]

My own note to add, from the Research guide for Is 40:31:

 

The eagle does not soar and glide long distances solely in its own power. A  draft of warm air gives it the lift it needs, enabling the eagle to conserve energy. We need to ask Jehovah for a lift to keep us going - Holy Spirit.
When you see a mighty bird soaring higher and higher in the sky with hardly a beat of its wings, remember that Jehovah can give you strength to rise above your problems.

[Miss Bea]

Brother, have you any idea just how very special you are. When you write something like this, i just settle down, knowing it will be a good read. Sometimes what you share just stays with me. A lesson learned. 
Thank you for you allowing yourself to be yourself! And sharing…

[dilip kumar]

After reading this. I became a roaring eagle. 

[jdcarlson]

On 11/24/2024 at 5:39 PM, Timl1980 said:

.tears shed in prayer and reliance on Jehovah become the wings that enable His servants to rise above their challenges. "

 

Your comment reminded me of a point I heard (or read) a few years ago (I do not remember if it was in a talk, an article, or where).

 

The point was how serious are we when we pray?

 

Tears are an expression of significant emotion. They can be from sadness or from joy. But, they still convey the depth of the feeling.

 

The particular expression (or question) was: "Have you ever prayed intently enough that tears came to your eyes?"

 

I remember an illustration from 50 or so years ago about a brother (an Elder) who was working with dear ones in the congregation (perhaps a family undergoing stress on the marriage). One night, while in bed going to sleep, he is praying intently for guidance in how can he best help the situation of the dear one(s) in the congregation. He is praying so intently about the matter that tears are in his eyes. 

 

Then his wife rolls over in the bed and reaches her hand out to him. She feels the tears on his face. She asks him what he is crying about.

 

And - since it is a confidential spiritual problem of a dear one in the congregation - HE CANNOT TELL HER!

 

Just imagine the stress on (1) the elder, (2) the wife, and (3) their marriage.

 

How does he handle the situation?

 

I know of no good answer. Many times over the years I have prayed about congregation matters to the degree that tears came to my eyes. Thankfully, my wife never new about the tears, so I did not have the burden of deciding what to tell her. But, I still wonder (even though she is now in the Alzheimers' unit and not in my apartment) how would I deal with that.

 

The best consolation I can find is that the tears are evidence of the depth of concern over the matter. The prayers are going to Jehovah. He can read hearts. So, he knows how really serious this matter is to you and your depth of feeling, with or without tears. But the tears give YOU evidence that you are truly deeply cocerned over the matter, which will hopefully give you some comfort that you are at least trying to do what is right.

 

Thanks,

 

Jim

Edited January 22 by jdcarlson