I had a good cry today. I’m a crier. I cry when I’m happy. I cry when I’m sad. I cry when I’m tired. I cry regularly and I cry often! A friend of mine once told me, “Elsie, God has given you so much passion, it comes out your eyes!” I love that.
Our Western culture, especially West Michigan doesn’t handle crying very well. We tend to get uncomfortable when people cry. How often do you see someone begin to cry and then try to hold their tears back and apologize for their emotion? I see this a lot!
Other cultures actually do a much better job of embracing and expressing emotion through tears than we do. We see this in hebraic culture all through the Old Testament, but particularly in Lamentations, Psalms and Job! The passionate expression of emotion had purpose and was a regular part of one’s relationship with God.
Many people see crying as weakness, but I believe tears are a gift from God. Did you know that when we cry in sorrow our body actually releases toxins through our tears? Isn’t that fascinating? God created our bodies with a physiological response to sorrow that provides healing when we cry. Crying is actually good for us!
So, I encourage you, friend. If you need to cry, don’t be embarrassed. God designed those tears for a reason and I invite you to let them flow!
A Good Cry
