Crocodile Tears

Crocodile Tears

Bible Blast: Read Psalm 56:8-11

You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.

Psalm 56:8

Have you ever heard someone’s tears described as “crocodile tears”? It’s a weird phrase, right? People began saying that as a way of describing the tears of someone who didn’t feel bad, but was pretending that she did. It turns out that crocodiles actually cry when they eat their prey, as if they feel bad about what they’re doing. Like the crocodile is chowing down on an antelope and saying through tear-stained eyes, “I’m so sorry, antelope. I don’t really want to eat you. I just have to. It’s the way I am! I’ll never be able to change!”

No one is really sure why crocodiles “cry” when they eat; biologists think it has something to do with all the hissing and puffing crocodiles do while they’re eating, which may push tears through their sinuses somehow. One thing crocodile experts will agree on is that the gigantic animals don’t feel bad about eating their prey.

There are three types of tears our human eyeballs create. One type keeps our eyes moist and protects our eyes from getting dried out. The second type of tears kick in when you get something in your eyes or when they burn from cutting raw onions. Those tears are meant to wash your eyes out and get rid of whatever’s causing the problem. Finally, we cry emotional tears. Those are the ones that stream down our faces uncontrollably when we’re sad or really happy. When we cry those emotional tears, chemical things happen in our bodies that make us feel better after we’ve cried. Isn’t that so cool?

Today’s focus verse is so beautiful. Imagine God taking some beautiful bottle and holding it under our eyes to capture our tears. He knows the reason for every single teardrop, and he cares about them.

You are so valuable to God. In fact, you’re invaluable. That means you’re worth so much that you’re priceless! Your happy tears and your sad tears matter to God. So go ahead and pass the tissues!

Girl Gab: Between you and your mom, which one of you cries more easily? How does it make you feel to know that God knows about each one of your tears? Pretend the word invaluable is written across your shirt today. But watch out—it just might make you smile!