Tears of Joy

“I want to cry…” my son Dylan said to me last night after we announced to our boys that, for the first time ever in our little family, we were going to have a dog.

Both boys have been asking for a dog during the last few years. Dylan, however, has been the most persistent. Every picture he drew of our family lately has had a dog in it. He has been thinking of names for a dog. He has been dreaming of a dog. Needless to say, when we told them last night, he was beside himself.

Even though it was such a roller coaster of emotions, it was beautiful to see him. First he looked at us in disbelief. Then, he gasped. Finally, he did a noiseless scream. Quickly after I showed him the picture of our future-newest-member of the family, he grabbed paper and crayons and began to draw him. That’s when he started to get weepy and came to me all confused…wondering why he wanted to cry…that’s when I realized that my son had just found out it is possible to shed tears of joy.

It is not often that we are so overwhelmed by happiness that we cry. But it does happen. And for that, I praise the Lord! He allows us to experience, on this shore of eternity, not only the valleys of tears, but also the peaks of joy. Once in a while, mountain-top-moments come to us as a precious gift to remind us of the great love and mercy of God…to remind us that He cares…to remind us that there isn’t a pain so great that He cannot make go away…to remind us that He knows us and that He is there.

He leads us through every path, and He takes care of us. He wants to give us great things. He wants to lavish us with his inexpressible love. If we, who are bad, can give good things to our children…what more would we receive from our Heavenly Father, right? (Matthew 7: 11) Praise the Lord, O my soul!

I know that there will be moments in our near future when our new 4-legged-friend is going to disappoint Dylan and perhaps, even annoy him. But I’m also sure that he will savor the feeling of ecstatic delight he is enjoying right now, for a long time. It will probably live in his memory until he is a grown man. He will probably recall it when as a father himself; he gives his children their first dog. For now, I am the one savoring his happiness, and in turn, enjoying my own...

Tears of joy will stream down their faces,

and I will lead them home with great care. Jeremiah 31: 9