Crying

The shortest verse in the Bible is John 11:35 (KJV) which says "Jesus wept." In this verse Jesus is with Mary and Martha and he is weeping over the death of their brother, Lazarus. Jesus is showing compassion here for His friends by expressing His emotions. Jesus feels sorrow for this family, and He is moved to tears by the death of Lazarus. Luke 19:41 (KJV) says "And when He was come near, He beheld the city, and wept  over it." Here Jesus is crying over the inhabitants of the city of Jerusalem because He knows what is going to happen to them for rejecting him.

I have known people that indicate with words or facial expressions their belief that crying is a sign of weakness, and my friends, these people are sadly mistaken. God created each of us, and in so doing He gave us the ability to shed tears. We shed tears out of sorrow, compassion for others, pride in something someone we love accomplishes, each time our children enter a new stage in their lives, and we cry when we are extremely happy, for instance at the birth of a child in our family. There are many occasions in life that prompt crying some joyous, and some sorrowful. The point is that this is perfectly normal, and absolutely nothing to be ashamed of.

If we cry out of sorrow or when something upsets us, it brings a certain amount of relief. If we cry because we are happy, then how great it is to be blessed with an experience that brings us that level of joy.

The urge to cry doesn't just hit us at random, and it is very important that we recognize that. If you see someone crying, they are crying for a reason. When someone feels the urge to cry, and does so out of compassion for another, or because something moves them emotionally,  it doesn't take rocket science to figure out that person is a caring individual with a big heart. How desperately the world could use more of that, if only it were contagious.

In conclusion,  Jesus cried, and therefore to do so is certainly not a sign of weakness. If you feel the urge to cry out of sorrow or upset, don't suppress the urge, feel free to cry, it may relieve some of  the stress from your upset, and make you feel better. If you feel the urge to cry because you are proud of a loved one, or you are extremely happy, then do so, and don't worry about who sees you do it. I am not saying to force yourself to cry, and if you are not one who is easily moved to tears then that's okay because we are all different. The thing to remember is not to look down on, poke fun at, roll your eyes at, or respond to a compassionate human beings for crying in a manner that indicates you believe they're being ridiculous. When Jesus looked on Jerusalem, and cried over the people there, I seriously doubt that anyone would have mocked Him for it. We need to remember that tears from the heart, for whatever reason, come from a compassionate person, and compassion is a great thing. God has compassion, sympathy, and understanding for us when we cry from sorrow, and shares in our happiness when we shed tears of joy. The next time you see someone cry, I hope you feel genuine compassion, and understanding for them, or take the time to share in their joy, because at different times in our lives we all need that from one another.

If you have a prayer request and would like me to pray for you leave me a message, and I will be happy to do so. May God bless you.