Those Who Sow in Tears

By Cammie Easley, LPC, MHSP-S, Director of Child & Adolescent Services

Have you ever been in a season of sorrow or tears and wondered when joy would come? It is hard to see the growth that is happening around us and within us when we are in seasons like this. It reminds me of the end of winter and the very first signs of spring. Winters can feel long and hard. Trees can appear barren. Grass can appear dry and brown. Even the sky seems to reflect a wearying gray color. And yet, there is work happening underground in the winter of which we are unaware. We only become aware of this work once the first bits of green begin to pop out of the ground and buds appear on the trees, signaling that one season is ending and another is beginning.

There is a beautiful passage in the Bible that speaks to these bleak and barren seasons and the joy that is coming. Psalm 126:5–6 states:

“Those who sow in tears
will reap with shouts of joy.
Though one goes along weeping,
carrying the bag of seed,
he will surely come back with shouts of joy,
carrying his sheaves.” 

I love that the Psalms acknowledge that there are seasons of tears. And yet, the verb choice here is particularly unique. The Psalmist writes, “those who sow in tears will reap with shouts of joy.” It seems contradictory because we often think of weeping, crying or grieving as somewhat passive acts that cannot produce very much. However, the Psalmist utilizes a farming analogy to reinforce the idea that our tears are sowing seeds for the future. This gives a sense of hope that even in seasons of grief, we can be planting seeds for the future, seed that will feed others, seed that will one day produce a harvest.

It goes on to say, “…Though one goes along weeping, carrying the bag of seed, he will surely come back with shouts of joy, carrying his sheaves.” It is interesting to note that in these verses the same verb, “carrying,” is used in two seemingly contradictory ways. In the first half of verse 6, the Psalmist speaks of “carrying the bag of seed.” The verb “to carry,” in this instance, can refer to a heavy burden. And doesn’t grief sometimes feel like that, like you are carrying around a heavy burden?

And yet, this same verb, “to carry,” is later used in this passage to refer to joyfully carrying the rewards of one’s labor—one’s sheaves. Sheaves in that context were bundles of grain that represented a bountiful harvest, God’s provision, reward for one’s labor, and a sense of restoration. I think it is beautiful that what we “carry” in one season, which can feel like a burden that will never bear fruit, can turn into joyfully carrying a harvest when we steward the season as God intended.

You see, there are plenty of people who can walk through a season of grief and shed many tears and yet not allow that grief to ever produce a harvest. It takes immense strength and resilience to have the mindset of a sower while grieving. It takes immense selflessness to consider how your tears might produce a harvest for another while in a season of suffering yourself. And it takes immense perseverance to look forward to a future harvest when you are currently walking through a season with no tangible evidence of growth or reaping.

This is one of the privileges of counseling: to be able to figuratively hold another’s tears, make space for their season of waiting or suffering, and also remind them that a harvest is coming and these tears will not be wasted. None of our suffering will be wasted. There is a worship song that beautifully conveys this sentiment titled “At the Altar.” It states:

“Where the tears of the desperate
Reach the feet of the Savior
Nothing I wouldn't offer
There's no waste at the altar
Where the heart of surrender
Meets the hands of the Maker
Nothing I wouldn't offer
There's no waste at the altar”

Regardless of your season, there is so much we can all glean from this passage. If you are in a season of grief, suffering or waiting: wait with hope, sow seeds while you wait, and know that your tears will not be wasted. If you are in a season of bounty: bless the Lord, honor the days you waited for this present joy and encourage those who are currently in their own season of waiting for answered prayers. And finally, if you are in a season of seeing the first glimpses of “spiritual spring”: trust the timing of your Maker, celebrate the small signals that joy is coming, and continue to sow by doing the hard work that leads to joyful celebration.

And for all of us, regardless of how or when our seasons change on this earth, our ultimate hope is that someday our Lord will return, bringing His reward with Him, and we will be with Him forever.

We pray that this encourages you. And if you find yourself needing further support or encouragement on your own individual journey, please don’t hesitate to reach out!

Meet Cammie Easley, LPC-MHSP, Director of Child & Adolescent Services!

Cammie graduated with her Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling in May of 2014 from Denver Seminary in Denver, CO.

Throughout her career as a counselor, Cammie has been passionate about helping individuals of all ages overcome anxiety and depression, heal from past traumas, process their own grief, and develop into the healthy and whole people that God designed them to be.

She believes firmly that seasons of hardship are God’s tool which He uses to make us more like Himself and to reveal Himself to us in ways that we would not otherwise come to intimately know. One of her greatest joys in counseling is helping individuals figure out how they can heal in a holistic way that incorporates their body, mind, and spirit.