It is okay to cry

You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book. Psalm 56: 8 NLT

I grew up learning to suppress my tears. I suppose I was brought up more like a boy than a girl – or at least not like a girlie girl.

It took some work for me to accept my tears and to even let them fall when in front of other people. Actually, it was during a requirement for ordination that I was able to let my tears flow in front of a small group of pastors. From that point on, I came to see my tears as a blessing, an offering to God.

Psalm 56:8 gives us a biblical mandate for crying. God sees our sorrows. God counts our tears. God stores up all our tears in a bottle. God knows when our hearts are breaking and when we are overwhelmed with sorrow. Our tears are not something to hide: God accepts each and every one.

God, help me to express my sorrow to you – and to others. Help me not be afraid to cry. Teach me that my tears are a blessing and that you record each one – not to punish me but to remember my sorrows. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Copyright 2011 Amelia G. Sims