--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We strain to hear. But instead of hearing…" description: "\"We strain to hear. But instead of hearing an answer we catch sight of God himself scraped and torn. Through our tears we see the tears of God\" — Nichol..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a50/nicholas-wolterstorff-31748_answers_we-strain-to-hear-but-instead-of-hearing_1263060.png" --- # We strain to hear. But instead of hearing an answer we… ![“We strain to hear. But instead of hearing an answer we catch sight of God himself scraped and torn. Through our tears we see the tears of God” quote by Nicholas Wolterstorff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a50/nicholas-wolterstorff-31748_answers_we-strain-to-hear-but-instead-of-hearing_1263060.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a50/nicholas-wolterstorff-31748_answers_we-strain-to-hear-but-instead-of-hearing_1263060.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a50/nicholas-wolterstorff-31748_answers_we-strain-to-hear-but-instead-of-hearing_1263060.png) > “We strain to hear. But instead of hearing an answer we catch sight of God himself scraped and torn. Through our tears we see the tears of God” [Nicholas Wolterstorff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-wolterstorff/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker feels that in seeking answers, they perceive God’s suffering reflected in their own tears, suggesting a shared divine-human pain. **In simple terms:** Seeing God’s tears mirrors our own grief. Key Takeaway Recognize shared suffering as a path to empathy. Themes spirituality pain connection Mood reflective somber Type poetic spiritual When to use this quote - personal loss - grief counseling - spiritual meditation - artistic expression Key Concepts theology existentialism Questions to Reflect On - How does recognizing shared pain affect your worldview? - Can empathy arise from seeing divinity in suffering? A Different Perspective Interpretation may vary; not all see divine pain in personal sorrow. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Scraping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scraping/) [Tears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tears/) ## Related quotes > [How is faith to endure, O God, when you allow all this scraping and tearing on us? You have allowed rivers of blood to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-wolterstorff/how-is-faith-to-endure-o-god-when-you-allow-all-this-scraping-and/) [Nicholas Wolterstorff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-wolterstorff/) > [The tears of God are the meaning of history](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-wolterstorff/the-tears-of-god-are-the-meaning-of-history/) [Nicholas Wolterstorff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-wolterstorff/) > [“What the hell are you getting so upset about?" he asked her bewilderedly in a tone of contrite amusement. "I thought you didn't believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-heller/what-the-hell-are-you-getting-so-upset-about-he-asked-her-2/) [Joseph Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-heller/) > [“What the hell are you getting so upset about?' he asked her bewilderedly in a tone of contrive amusement. 'I thought you didn't believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-heller/what-the-hell-are-you-getting-so-upset-about-he-asked-her/) [Joseph Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-heller/) > [Tears are God's gift to us. Our holy water. They heal us as they flow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-schiano/tears-are-god-s-gift-to-us-our-holy-water-they-heal-us-as-they-flow/) [Rita Schiano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-schiano/) > [“Tears are God's way of cleansing the heart.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-barlow-jordan/tears-are-god-s-way-of-cleansing-the-heart/) Rebecca Barlow Jordan > [“O, that this too too solid flesh would melt Thaw and resolve itself into a dew! Or that the Everlasting had not fix'd His…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/o-that-this-too-too-solid-flesh-would-melt-thaw-and-resolve-itself/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [I shed more tears than God could ever have required.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-rimbaud/i-shed-more-tears-than-god-could-ever-have-required/) [Arthur Rimbaud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-rimbaud/) > [“Through my tears I found god in myself and I loved her fiercely”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ntozake-shange/through-my-tears-i-found-god-in-myself-and-i-loved-her-fiercely/) [Ntozake Shange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ntozake-shange/) > [“I am not that God who wipe off your tears, I am that God who wipe out his eyes who cause others tears”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-s-jagadeesh-kumar/i-am-not-that-god-who-wipe-off-your-tears-i-am-that-god-who-wipe-out/) [P.S. Jagadeesh Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-s-jagadeesh-kumar/) > [“I won't cry when you say goodbye I'm out of tears, out of tears ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-jagger-keith-richards/i-won-t-cry-when-you-say-goodbye-i-m-out-of-tears-out-of-tears/) Mick Jagger Keith Richards > [The man who wishes to bend me with his tale of woe must shed true tears - not tears that have been got ready…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aulus-persius-flaccus/the-man-who-wishes-to-bend-me-with-his-tale-of-woe-must-shed-true/) [Aulus Persius Flaccus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aulus-persius-flaccus/) > [The only tears that she should ever cry are tears of happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-merrow/the-only-tears-that-she-should-ever-cry-are-tears-of-happiness/) [James Merrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-merrow/) > [Anyway, it's gone. And there's nothing left in my pocket to charm you. So from now on it's going to have to be tears…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barker/anyway-it-s-gone-and-there-s-nothing-left-in-my-pocket-to-charm-you/) [Clive Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-barker/) > [The only tears you should cry are tears of joy at the point of accomplishment, never from failing or giving up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-tears-you-should-cry-are-tears-of-joy-at-the-point-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Nicholas Wolterstorff > [“But we all suffer. For we all prize and love; and in this present existence of ours, prizing and loving yield suffering. Love in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-wolterstorff/but-we-all-suffer-for-we-all-prize-and-love-and-in-this-present/) [Nicholas Wolterstorff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-wolterstorff/) > [“Why are the photographs of him as a little boy so incredibly hard to look at? Something is over. Now instead of those shiny…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-wolterstorff/why-are-the-photographs-of-him-as-a-little-boy-so-incredibly-hard-to/) [Nicholas Wolterstorff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-wolterstorff/) > [“Technology does make possible advance toward shalom; progress in mastery of the world can bring shalom nearer. But the limits of technology must also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-wolterstorff/technology-does-make-possible-advance-toward-shalom-progress-in/) [Nicholas Wolterstorff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-wolterstorff/) > [I Shall Look At The World Through Tears. Perhaps I Shall See Things That, Dry-Eyed, I Could Not See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-wolterstorff/i-shall-look-at-the-world-through-tears-perhaps-i-shall-see-things/) [Nicholas Wolterstorff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-wolterstorff/) > [In the valley of suffering, despair and bitterness are brewed. But there also character is made. The valley of suffering is the vale of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-wolterstorff/in-the-valley-of-suffering-despair-and-bitterness-are-brewed-but/) [Nicholas Wolterstorff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-wolterstorff/) > [The tears of God are the meaning of history](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-wolterstorff/the-tears-of-god-are-the-meaning-of-history/) [Nicholas Wolterstorff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-wolterstorff/) > [“I am at an impasse, and you, O God, have brought me here...From my earliest days, I have believed in you. I shared in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-wolterstorff/i-am-at-an-impasse-and-you-o-god-have-brought-me-here-from-my/) [Nicholas Wolterstorff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-wolterstorff/) > [And what of regrets? I shall live with them. I shall accept my regrets as part of my life, to be numbered among my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-wolterstorff/and-what-of-regrets-i-shall-live-with-them-i-shall-accept-my-regrets/) [Nicholas Wolterstorff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-wolterstorff/) > [Faith is a footbridge that you don't know will hold you up over the chasm until you're forced to walk out onto it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-wolterstorff/faith-is-a-footbridge-that-you-don-t-know-will-hold-you-up-over-the/) [Nicholas Wolterstorff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-wolterstorff/) > [Choice is always performed against a background of habit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-wolterstorff/choice-is-always-performed-against-a-background-of-habit/) [Nicholas Wolterstorff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-wolterstorff/) > [How is faith to endure, O God, when you allow all this scraping and tearing on us? You have allowed rivers of blood to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-wolterstorff/how-is-faith-to-endure-o-god-when-you-allow-all-this-scraping-and/) [Nicholas Wolterstorff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-wolterstorff/) > [“Will my eyes adjust to this darkness? Will I find you in the dark – not in the streaks of light which remain, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-wolterstorff/will-my-eyes-adjust-to-this-darkness-will-i-find-you-in-the-dark-not/) [Nicholas Wolterstorff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-wolterstorff/) > [God is not only the God of the sufferers but the God who suffers. ... It is said of God that no one can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-wolterstorff/god-is-not-only-the-god-of-the-sufferers-but-the-god-who-suffers-it/) [Nicholas Wolterstorff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-wolterstorff/) > [“Many are the scholars who make it their professional occupation to occupy themselves in this towering edifice of culture, exploring its nook and crannies,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-wolterstorff/many-are-the-scholars-who-make-it-their-professional-occupation-to/) [Nicholas Wolterstorff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-wolterstorff/) > [The very freedom and expressiveness we find missing in life we find present in art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-wolterstorff/the-very-freedom-and-expressiveness-we-find-missing-in-life-we-find/) [Nicholas Wolterstorff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-wolterstorff/) [Explore all 16 Nicholas Wolterstorff quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-wolterstorff/) ## More Answers quotes > [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/) [Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/) > [Sometimes a question can hurt more than an answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/sometimes-a-question-can-hurt-more-than-an-answer/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [You feed yourself. Make sure you have all the information, whether it's aesthetic, scientific, mathematical, I don't care what it is. Then you walk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/you-feed-yourself-make-sure-you-have-all-the-information-whether-it-s/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [I have long felt that the way to keep children out of trouble is to keep them interested in things. Lecturing to children is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-disney/i-have-long-felt-that-the-way-to-keep-children-out-of-trouble-is-to/) [Walt Disney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-disney/) > [Let me tell you that atheism has never painted a masterpiece. Atheism has never dispelled fear. Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/) [John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/) > [“As long as you keep searching,the answers will come.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-kynock/as-long-as-you-keep-searching-the-answers-will-come/) [Mitch Kynock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-kynock/) > [The answer to deep anxiety is the deep adoration of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/the-answer-to-deep-anxiety-is-the-deep-adoration-of-god/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [A dialogue is very important. It is a form of communication in which question and answer continue till a question is left without an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-dialogue-is-very-important-it-is-a-form-of-communication-in-which/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [There is a comfort in rituals, and rituals provide a framework for stability when you are trying to find answers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-norville/there-is-a-comfort-in-rituals-and-rituals-provide-a-framework-for/) [Deborah Norville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-norville/) > [A religious person answers to God, not to the elected or non-elected official.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/a-religious-person-answers-to-god-not-to-the-elected-or-non-elected/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [Let us remember that every worldview-not just Christianity's-must give an explanation or an answer for evil and suffering...this is not just a problem distinctive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/let-us-remember-that-every-worldview-not-just-christianity-s-must/) [Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/) > [Instead of asking a girl how she feels, try looking through her recently listened to songs. The lyrics are the answer to all your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/instead-of-asking-a-girl-how-she-feels-try-looking-through-her/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [For someone to ask 'Who did you play for' and to be able to answer a single name 'Liverpool' that would be brilliant...I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-carragher/for-someone-to-ask-who-did-you-play-for-and-to-be-able-to-answer-a/) [Jamie Carragher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-carragher/) > [When the first Superman movie came out I was frequently asked "What is a hero?" ...My answer was that a hero is someone who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/when-the-first-superman-movie-came-out-i-was-frequently-asked-what-is/) [Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/) > [Enjoying life isn't about finding the answers, but living the questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-margolis/enjoying-life-isn-t-about-finding-the-answers-but-living-the-questions/) [Sue Margolis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-margolis/) Browse all 7,843 Answers quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We strain to hear. But instead of hearing an answer we catch sight of God himself scraped and torn. Through our tears we see the tears of God", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nicholas Wolterstorff" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-wolterstorff/we-strain-to-hear-but-instead-of-hearing-an-answer-we-catch-sight-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Answers" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-wolterstorff/we-strain-to-hear-but-instead-of-hearing-an-answer-we-catch-sight-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a50/nicholas-wolterstorff-31748_answers_we-strain-to-hear-but-instead-of-hearing_1263060.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a50/nicholas-wolterstorff-31748_answers_we-strain-to-hear-but-instead-of-hearing_1263060.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a50/nicholas-wolterstorff-31748_answers_we-strain-to-hear-but-instead-of-hearing_1263060.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We strain to hear. But instead of hearing an answer we catch sight of God himself scraped and torn. Through…” — Nicholas Wolterstorff", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Nicholas Wolterstorff", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-wolterstorff/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We strain to hear. But instead...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-wolterstorff/we-strain-to-hear-but-instead-of-hearing-an-answer-we-catch-sight-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-wolterstorff/we-strain-to-hear-but-instead-of-hearing-an-answer-we-catch-sight-of/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```