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06/18/04
No Language But a Cry
Betsy Childs
In the course of an infant's life, his first real means of articulation
is his cry. Although babies in the womb remind their mothers of their presence by kicks and somersaults, the cry is the first
communication the child makes with the world. It carries a very simple message: something is wrong.
The infant plays
the easy part in the exchange; he merely sounds the warning. It is the parents' job to determine the source of his discomfort
and seek a remedy. I doubt that the infant even understands the need behind the cry; otherwise, why wouldn't a baby who is
overtired just go to sleep instead of crying? No, the infant only senses that crying is the appropriate way to express his
bewildering need to someone who can do something about it. In this sense, the cry is the articulation of the inarticulate.
In Tennyson's lengthy poem In Memoriam, he writes about what he would like to see the world become, a place where
harmony is restored and every evil redeemed. Then he writes:
But what am I?
An infant crying in the night:
An
infant crying for the light,
And with no language but a cry.
You see, a cry does not express an end goal. It merely
expresses a need. Women sometimes take a bad rap when they cry without knowing the reason. I would argue instead that crying
is particularly appropriate when you can't put your needs or frustrations into words. It expresses that we need help, though
we may not be sure what kind of help we need.
The Book of Psalms repeatedly looks at God as a person who is trustworthy
to receive our cries. David writes, "The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry" (Psalm
34:15). This brings to my mind the image of an attentive mother, discerning the cause of her baby's cry. She does not question
him or chastise him; she exercises her wisdom and then moves on his behalf. David goes on to say, "The righteous cry out and
the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who
are crushed in spirit" (17-18).
God is not looking for us to articulately express our need of Him before He will draw
near to us to help us. God does not save us on the basis of our self-awareness or our insightHe lifts up those who are crushed
in spirit. When the most that we can do is cry, that is enough. It puts us into the receiving position of a little child,
which is one of the marks of those who will enter God's kingdom (Mark 10:15).
We can follow the example of the psalmist
by directing our cries to God. Although we may not know what we need or how it can be accomplished, like an infant we know
who can meet the need.
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