I joke about it often with friends when they say sweet things about me and utter words of affirmation. Those who know me well know that I’m a “tear bucket”. I’ll tell them, “okay, stop it now; you’re going to make me cry and then you’re going to cry and we’ll never stop”. The truth is I am so moved by their genuine friendship and love.
I will never forget a former ministry leader who told me that I “wear my heart on my sleeve too much”. My first thoughts were, “just because I wear my heart on my sleeve does not mean that you have the right to intentionally stomp all over it”. I don’t think she realized that she was taking a moment that was purposed for resolution to vindicate her abusive and menacing behavior.
Which brings me to today’s message:
I will never forget a former ministry leader who told me that I “wear my heart on my sleeve too much”. My first thoughts were, “just because I wear my heart on my sleeve does not mean that you have the right to intentionally stomp all over it”. I don’t think she realized that she was taking a moment that was purposed for resolution to vindicate her abusive and menacing behavior.
Which brings me to today’s message:
It’s Okay to Cry: Even Warriors & Superheroes Do It
The shortest verse in the Bible: Jesus Wept (John 11:35). After seeing all the mourners and speaking with Lazarus’s grieving sisters, Jesus wept. Think about that for a moment. He had the power to resurrect him from the dead, and later he did, but at that moment, Jesus wept. Weeping is natural and certain moments just call for it. Why do we buy into people that tell us otherwise?
Weeping didn’t take Jesus’s power away. It also was not a sign of weakness or lack of faith. Weeping was simply a natural emotion, a release that was needed at that moment. Below are a few other things that weeping demonstrates:
Weeping didn’t take Jesus’s power away. It also was not a sign of weakness or lack of faith. Weeping was simply a natural emotion, a release that was needed at that moment. Below are a few other things that weeping demonstrates:
- Compassion
- Emotion
- Humanity
- Awareness
- Confronting your feelings
- A release
- Expression
- Strength
- Power
And the list goes on.
I wear my sensitive, emotional nature with pride (although it’s managed): it’s a true badge of strength from an abuse survivor who once lived numb. My tears, anger, frustration and hurt remind me that I am alive, actively engaged and passionate. Those were things that I once could not say.
(Side Note: one of the reasons “cutters” or “self-mutilators” give for their actions is “they just wanted to feel”. Your tears are signs that you feel.)
So, the next time a moment calls for tears, don’t rush so quickly to wipe them away or paint on a fake smile. Simply let them fall, rest in the moment and remember:
Alesha Brown, The Joy Guru
Publisher|Best Selling Author|Transformational Speaker
CEO, Alesha Brown LLC
"It's never too late to edit your life and I can help!"
