God sees your tears and cheers your joy
Martha Olawale
“To the Lord your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it.”Deuteronomy 10:14
Walking with God is the most remarkable experience in anyone’s life. My daughter recently transferred from one college to another during her sophomore year. It was a God-thing, and we knew He was guiding her there. However, the change also brought the disappointment of leaving her friends and the familiarity of her first year behind.
While we are grateful to God for leading her to her new school, we’ve had to acknowledge the emotional impact of the drastic change. On the evening of the second day of classes, I was speaking with her on FaceTime as she walked. As I encouraged her, she suddenly looked up and screamed, “Mum, look,” pointing the phone heavenward. I could not believe what we were seeing. A vivid, smiling face, an undeniable message of God’s love, looked down on her campus, and she burst out laughing, grateful for the humor in the sky. That simple experience changed how we viewed the situation, reminding us, “God is here!”
As I looked at the sky, miles away from her, a warm feeling washed over me, reminding me that God was with my daughter and closer to her than I could ever be. I’ve never seen anything like it, yet God has a way of showing us His love in everyday things we overlook. We didn’t ask for a sign or anything of the sort; it was His gift, not only for my animation-loving daughter but also for me. The picture she took of the drawing’s precision would have been impossible to explain to anyone. God was gracious enough to go the extra mile, using the cloud to remind us both that He’s in control and that He’ll be with her as she embarks on a new path of learning from new professors and making new friends.
Like David, we need to be intentional about remembering the advantage we have in walking with God. He has a way of dazzling us with wonder, letting us know that He is mindful of every step we take and that everything we are going through touches His heart. He sees your secret tears as He cheers your open joy. David writes in Psalm 139:1-3, “O Lord, You have searched me and known me. 2 You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. 3 You comprehend my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways.”
Whatever you are going through, God is with you. It doesn’t matter whether the mud you’re trying to get out of is your fault or someone else’s; He’s with you. Allow your soul to find rest in His love, and look within to enjoy His gifts around you. While my daughter and I might never see another smiling face in the cloud, the picture reminds us of God’s faithfulness. It makes me more intentional about noticing the many ways God reminds me that even when the road is bumpy, He loves me, walks with me, and cares for those I love.
