The Bacon Daddy Brought Home: Blood Sweat and Tears.
As he works? His blood pumps and flows to keep his hands moving, producing sweat from the exertions of his very life substance. Tears of sorrow as he must leave his family FOR his family, and tears of joy when it all pays off and he presides over the dinner table smiling inwardly with pride and gratefulness for the ability to work and provide.
To spill the blood is to take away life, to let it flow is to live and let live. To spill the blood is to abort a child but to let it flow is to face the challenge of giving birth. To keep the child is to offer your own blood, to kill the child is to spill someone else’s blood. A man is only allowed to offer his own blood but never to spill another’s.
To spill the sweat is to work and waste but to let it flow is to work and spend and save wisely. To spill the sweat is to waste time effort and energy on things that don’t produce any fruit. To let it flow is to offer it all for meaningful, purposeful endeavors. To spill the sweat is to work hard and to let it flow is to work smart.
When it comes to tears, things are a bit different. Tears come to wash away the specks that often distorts the things we’ve seen, but too much of it can distort the vision as well.
Finally, it’s not what goes IN a man that defiles him but what comes out. What that means is that you can’t control what people do to you but you can control your reaction. It also means that no matter what a person can put you through, doesn’t have to scar, traumatize or cripple you. To the opportunist, every stumbling block is a possible stepping stone. So yeah, they’ll cut you, they’ll make life difficult and cause you to strain, and yeah the tears will flow but remember God avenged the blood of Abel. He turned the sweat of Adams brow into provision and He wiped away the tears of Hannah.
You’re as human as they were.
One of my favorite stories in the Bible is the depiction of Christ in human form at the Garden of Gethsemane. He was God but He was also man and because of that, in order to complete the greatest purpose known to man, it would require blood, sweat and tears.
Can you imagine? A sinless man, the Son of GOD, the treasure of heaven, he couldn’t accomplish the Fathers will without shedding blood sweat and tears. You can’t escape it, so when it comes, embrace it.
“And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”
Luke 22:44 NKJV
It’s pretty deep the way this is worded. The author points out the positive outcome of agony. Because Jesus was in agony, it led Him to pray more earnestly. Yes. The blood sweat and tears are what made His prayer more effective. This Reminds me of the time when Jesus received word of Lazarus’ death. He was glad it happened but He shed tears and when He finally did cry, He didn’t cry for the death of His good friend, He cried because of those who cried not knowing that He has power over death.
You might have bled a lot but you didn’t bleed out. Yeah you broke your back and drew sweat from your brow but you gained sustenance and it made rest all the more sweet. Yes, you’ve cried tears of bitter sorrow but thats what makes the tears of joy even sweeter. Understand that sometimes bad comes to make way for good.
