Are you happier as a Christian than you would be otherwise? I assume so. As a Christian, your life’s most haunting questions are answered. Your very identity isn’t earned, but inherited as the Creator of the universe declares, “You are my Child whom I love, with you I am well-pleased. (Matt. 3:17)” Because Jesus has paid for your sins with his death and has risen from the grave, you have living, breathing proof of your eternal destiny, your infinite worth, and the accepting forgiveness that every human craves in the deepest corner of their hearts. Broadly speaking, this should make you happier than a person who does not have this.

At the same time, are you sadder as a Christian than you would be otherwise? The answer, surprisingly, is also “yes.” The most compelling proof is Jesus himself. Isaiah’s prophecy proved true: “A man of sorrows, well acquainted with grief. (Isaiah 53:3)” Read the Gospels and you’ll discover Jesus is constantly troubled, overcome with pity and sadness, weeping and lamenting. Why? Joy. Jesus knew the joy of Heaven and the perfection and glory that he has in store for those who trust him. That’s what made people’s rejection so devastating. Jesus was there at the creation of the world and he had the joy of a perfect relationship with his creation- which made the pain and dysfunction of a fractured creation that much more glaring.

Those who don’t know Jesus and don’t know about the joy and perfection of the new world can look at this world and simply say, “Well, it is what it is, let’s just deal with it.” Christians don’t have that luxury. If you have the joy of knowing that your status in God’s family is completely, totally free, it will crush you when people reject it. The more joy you have of knowing what this world was meant to be, the more you will be disturbed by the atrocities, violence, immorality, greed, and hatred we see in the world. The more you grow in your Christian faith, the more your heart becomes like Jesus’, the softer it will become. You will be more joyful and more distressed at the sin and evil of this world.

Christians both weep and sing songs of joy. Their tears and songs are intensified. We see this clearly in Psalm 126. The Old Testament author and singers of this hymn remember a time when God was especially good to them, possibly thinking about the time when they were allowed to return home from exile. They were like those who dreamed! Life was good, and could only get better. Even their enemies had to admit that God had been good to them, and he had been! Their hearts are filled with songs of joy! And tears.

In Psalm 126:5, we are presented with a striking truth: “Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy.” It would be one thing if the Psalm simply said, “God will comfort those who weep,” or “weeping may last for the night but joy comes in the morning, (Psalm 30:5)” because there are plenty of psalms that say that. This is different. Not only does joy follow weeping, but joy is actually produced by weeping. Not only are the Christian’s tears and songs intensified, they are interdependent. How can this happen? Look closely and you’ll find that this is how God works. The greatest example is Jesus himself. He came not to simply feel pain on a general, human level, but to suffer the ultimate pain for our sin. He came to weep the bitterest tears and experience the most wretched, intense, horrible sorrow and anguish in our place on the cross. Why? Joy. The writer to the Hebrews says this perfectly: “For the joy set before him, he endured the cross, scorning its shame. (Hebrews 12:2)” Jesus sowed with tears and reaped with songs of joy because he knew the harvest of his tears was you and me. Now, because we belong to him, because we are in his kingdom and his followers and people who are going to share his glory and joy, this is how it will work with us as well. Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy.

If you are on this website, it is likely because you or someone you know is being asked by God to endure a weighty cross. Maybe your love one’s weighty cross has become your own, too.

God is asking you to endure something that will bring you to tears. You may have a desire that God asks you to restrain. You may have a child who is leaving behind the One you faithfully raised them to trust. You may be surrounded by voices promising satisfaction, acceptance, and happiness at the cost of your soul. You’ve likely lost friends and sacrificed tremendous happiness out of love for your Savior. If you are in that place, and you are weeping tears, and you do not feel like carrying on, you need to know this: God weeps with you. And if you’d like, your brothers and sisters weep with you too. Your tears are valid. Your tears are real. Your tears are also meaningful, and will produce joy in the end. Your tears have the power to refine you, strengthen you, humble you, and mold you into the child God has called you to be.

Your tears shape your heart to be more like Christ’s. Your tears are used by God to produce joy. Let the tears flow, but do not despair. Your tears are seed, and the harvest is coming.