When was the last time you had a good cry? Not just a single tear running down your cheek after a sad movie. I mean a GOOD and STRONG cry, one where your tears were endless, snot was running down your face, and you lay vulnerable without any other thought in the world.
It is ironic that in our moments of deep despair and sadness, the other things we once worried about seem to instantly disappear. There are benefits to the cleanse, reset, and renewal that a cry gives. It helps us prioritize what is important, let go of things we grabbed onto or could not control in the past, and redirect our energies to more productive avenues. In doing so, crying could be seen as a transformational experience, one we must endure in order to get to the next step of our journey.
However, some of us may not recall the last time that we cried. Perhaps it is because we have been conditioned to “be strong” and hold in our emotions. Through movies and television, crying is consistently portrayed as a form of weakness. However, I strongly disagree with this sentiment. I believe that crying is a sign of courage and health. Even when you cry alone, you cry in the presence of the Lord. Allowing others, whether human or omnipotent, to witness you in such a vulnerable place requires much strength and courage.
It also takes a certain bravery to open yourself up, and let yourself truly release your emotions. Psychologically, in order to go through the process of sadness, one must receive, acknowledge, and absorb a loss of some kind. It could be the loss of an idea, a plan, or a dream you once had. In more serious instances, it could be absorbing the loss of a person you care about. When absorbing these various losses, one also absorbs the emotion of fear. The acknowledgement of loss allows someone to process, recover, and move forward from it. This is why crying is a necessary and healthy emotional process, physically, mentally and especially SPIRITUALLY. If you refuse to let yourself cry, you deny yourself the opportunity to move forward and away from loss and trauma.
We must have a way to healthily express ourselves, because by taking care of people, we take care of society. Suppressing our sadness, even temporarily, eventually leads to long term issues like anxiety and depression. The U.S. has a rise in people with mental health issues, and violence associated with those issues, because there are no avenues in society for emotional expressions of sadness. People are too afraid to be seen as “weak” in an ever competitive and superficial capitalist environment. But remind yourself of this: what is more important? What others may think of you or your long term mental health?
“I cried out in my suffering and the Lord heard me. He set me free from all my fears. For the angel of the Lord guards all who fear him and rescues them.”
Psalm 34: 6-7
David expressed his sadness by crying out to the Lord many times throughout the Bible. In desperation, he relied on the Lord to deliver him from his current state of mind, body, and spirit. We are reminded through David’s cry that as disciples, as people, we are allowed and encouraged to cry to the Lord. When we cry out, the Lord hears us, and helps us through the transformational process that sadness and grief give, getting us to the other side of the hurdle.
Our connection with God plays a crucial part in how we express sadness and grief. Allowing ourselves to be vulnerable in the presence of the Lord gives us the strength and momentum to grow from the losses we absorb through the misfortunes and suffering life gives us. We must allow ourselves to give up control of our self perception. We must ignore the opinions of others and express our feelings, good and bad, instead of burying them. For processing our emotions and growing from loss ultimately heals our Soul.
I encourage you to have a good cry today. If you have been suppressing or holding something in, allow yourself to feel it, ALL of it. Do not dilute it in any way. Give yourself the gift of inner growth, healing, and renewal, and the opportunity to take a huge step forward on your personal journey.