wftw: sadness

After experiencing one of the most emotionally tough days I have had in a while, I came across this article that clarified so much of what I have been going through. So I post it here in hopes that it will help or clarify "tears" in the life of someone else who is struggling. We need to know the truth— that it is ok, even beneficial for us to cry when experiencing loss; it's ok to feel our pain. God created us with emotions and I believe part of their purpose is to point us to God himself. Jesus created tears and shed them. He knows our pain.

Here's a favorite excerpt from the article from Relevant Magazine with the link to the entire work below.

Sadness Doesn't Mean We Are Struggling in Our Faith
by Sean Bess

We often act like tears are silly or selfish—and they can be, but they can also be life—affirming. I believe in the soul, in part, because of tears. There are evolutionary reasons for tears-like washing out debris from around the eyes—but humans are the only creatures that cry due to grief. I think it's possible we cry tears of grief as a way of washing out debris from around our souls.

Have you lost someone? Cry. Are you having a really rough day? Cry. The smile will stretch back across your face in time, but sometimes in order for this to genuinely happen, you have to allow the tears pool in your eyelids and draw hot lines down your cheeks.

One of the best things you can do with heartache of any sort is to allow yourself to feel it. However, there seems to be a prevailing movement of positive thinking in the Church—sometimes it looks a lot like happiness worship—and it’s leaving less and less room in its theology for tears.

But even Jesus wept.

read more: HERE