Go ahead, have a good cry!

As I shared with you last week I am taking a journey through the book of Ruth and learning many lessons. Today Kelly Minter wrote about crying and kindness and what happens when we choose to turn toward our tears instead of away from them. I never really looked at tears as a journey, rather as a stumbling block or a sign of weakness or sometimes even tears of joy over an occasion that made me happy but never a journey. So when we cry where do we travel?
For some of us crying is cathartic. It comes at the end of a trial or argument or incident. Sometimes crying comes during one of those occasions and sometimes crying comes as a result of something outside of ourselves. For instance, most of us cry at the death of a loved one, the end of a relationship or the hurt of heartache. Oh, I know there are other emotions that we encounter as we experience these happenings but for now let’s concentrate on crying.
There are happy tears, sad tears, tears of frustration, of anger or hurt. There are tears of joy and longing and sadness. There are tears of pain and confusion and even self examination. For most, we feel better after a good cry and lousy while we are in the middle of it. Some I know bottle up all their tears and then explode when they can’t hold them in any longer. Not long ago I had a day were everything made me cry. It wasn’t because things were bad or painful it was just because my emotions that day were best expressed in tears. Those are the days I think my husband wonders if a good psychologist might not be such a bad idea. But, overall, I think tears are good.
Did you know that if a person cannot cry there are now eye drops to help you cry? Can you imagine not being able to cry? I cannot imagine during the times in my life when a good cry was necessary to clean out my soul not being able to do so and yet, that is what can happen. Wikipedia states that “to cry or weep is to wail and/or shed tears as a response to an emotional state in humans. Further in the definition it says the function or origin of emotional tears remains open. Theories range from the simple, such as response to inflicted pain, to the more complex, including nonverbal communication in order to elicit "helping" behavior from others”. Like I said, there are a lot of reasons why we cry. But have you ever considered your tears a journey?
Jesus knew the value of tears. When his friend Lazarus died he wept, not so much for the death of his friend but for the grief he saw in those around him, those who did not know that death was not the final destiny but only the end of a persons time here on earth. I think he felt sorrow for those who wept around him and sorrow for those who still did not understand the message of salvation he tried to bring as he ministered to all those lost souls. This was yet another time he would show the people that He would conquer death and claim in triumph the words found in Isaiah “Death is destroyed forever in victory.” (Isaiah 25:8). Jesus also had an experience with the woman who washed his feet with her tears and dried them with her hair in Luke 7:38-50. Jesus said those tears were a sign of great love. How I long for the day that I can bow at his feet and wash them with my tears. Did you know that there are 181 references to crying in the Bible? Jesus even wept for Jerusalem, wondering how long it would take the beloved city to realize that what could give it peace was already there. (Luke 19:41-44) Jesus knew the value of tears and also understood that crying is a part of our journey.
Kelly Minter says; “although there will be weeping in this life, the direction in which we weep is what really matters.” Do your tears move you forward or do they hold you back? Are they cathartic or are they a hindrance? Tears should cause us to want to move forward, not hold us back. So when you cry, what direction are you going in? Are you moving forward or walking backward? The next time you have a good cry ask yourself which direction you plan to go once the good cry is over. If your plan involves wallowing in what caused you to cry to begin with, rethink your strategy. Even Paul cried when he left his friends in Acts 20, not because he wanted to stay were he was but because he knew in following the direction the Holy Spirit was leading him he would have to say goodbye to friends all the while looking forward to where the journey would take him. Don’t get stuck in what was, dig yourself out and journey forward, away from the tears. Old tears can turn to bitterness, even resentment. There will be a day for new tears. Ecclesiastes tells us “there is a time to cry and a time to laugh” (vs 4) our responsibility is to move forward. Today, if you feel a good cry coming on, go ahead, just remember when you move on to the other side of those tears, move forward. Psalm 30:5b says “Crying may last for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” I pray the other side of your tears finds you on a journey toward joy.