Tear-Shaped Stone

I searched my heart
To find a gift,
A gift for Heaven's King; 
I searched for peace,
And love, and joy,
And freedom from within;


But when I looked
At what I found -
A stone shaped like a tear -
And on the stone
Inscribed a name,
The name inscribed was 'Fear',


I hid the stone
That none might see
In memory's ocean deep,
Away from hungry, prying eyes,
In an unconscious sleep;


Yet for my gift
I made a smile
For happy days and sad;
A smile to never
Let me down,
When all around me had.


I wore my gift
In every church,
For every eye to see,
And prayed they'd never
See the fear
I hid inside of me;


But God, 
Who made the universe,
Who made the starry sky,
Saw through my lying gift to Him,
Saw through my easy lie,


And asked,
'What kind of gift is this?
Is this for which I died?'
'I have no other
Gifts,' I said, and smiled
As I lied.


Then all at once
I saw a tear
Roll down the cheek divine,
He said, 'Bring out
Your hidden tears,
And mingle them with Mine.'


Anger, pain, confusion swept
Across my breaking heart,
And words all lost
In meaning came
And floundered at
The start.


'There are no answers
For your pain,
No reason can I give,
Except in Me
All sorrows ends, 
In Me you die
To live.'


I gave to Him
Of what I had,
A stone shaped like a tear,
I gave to Him
Of what was mine,
A stone inscribed
With 'Fear'.