Real Men Do Cry

"Jesus wept." John 11:35

When I was a child growing up my father taught me, that men do not cry nor do they show emotions. Any sign of emotion was a sign of weakness, any sign of weakness meant that you would be beaten and destroyed in this game we play called "LIFE." Certain words were not allowed in my vocabulary - "Can't, Quit, Pain & Fear."

Because of this, it helped me learn to tolerate high levels of pain and it caused me to push thru injuries so that I would heal faster and stronger. Plus it allowed me to develop an attitude of being able to face anything that was set before me. Why? Cause I didn't fear a single thing in life. Pretty wild-right? Well, not really. As I grew up into an adult, I learned that those emotions were healthy, normal emotions that everyone needs to be able to express if they are to remain in a healthy psychological state of mind.

Do you know what got me thinking about all this? Well, this past Labor Day I went up to my parents house for a BBQ. We were having a wonderful time sitting out by the pool watching my wife and granddaughter swim. My other children and I were sitting and visiting with my dad. Now mind you this was the very first social event since my mom had died this past August 8th.

As we began to eat dinner, I looked up and over to where we would sit under the tree. It was then that I had noticed my mom's chair. It was empty and I realized it would forever more remain empty. I began to cry- right there with a mouth full of fruit salad. I thought, “Wow I'm crying in front of my family!” But it was okay, because they got to see their father had real emotions with real love for his mother.

In today’s passage of scripture, we read the shortest yet one of the most powerful. Why? Because it showed us that, we have a God who is loving, kind, and compassionate. It was a complete contrast of the other deities who were worshipped, but had no compassion, love or care for those who worshipped them. They had no human interaction, what so ever. They were just cold stiff statues. By seeing how compassionate & loving Jesus is, it allows us to come to Him boldly and with confidence showing and expressing our true feelings and emotions. There should be no holding back. Go for it! Let Him see, hear and receive the true emotions that you are feeling. How totally freeing it is, to unload all the emotions that we have kept bottled up. Be honest and don't hide anything from Him, because He cares for you. He cares enough for us that He will weep with us, because He feels and senses our sorrows and pains that we feel. So, let’s always remember, that it’s alright for us to show and share the emotions within, because Jesus loves us and He feels our sorrow and pain, and He will weep with us.

Have totally awesome day in the Lord!
Brother Rick

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