A couple of weeks ago I had a melt down. It was in the morning, and after my 50th seminar on "How to Change the Toilet Paper Roll", that I started crying and could not stop. I had band-aids to strip off, my hair was clogging the drain, and I looked in the mirror and could not decide if I looked more like Phyllis Diller or Christopher Loyd! I don't allow myself to cry too often, because when I do get going, I can't stop.
Sometimes you just have to let yourself cry and get it out of your system. It's O.K. to cry. I cried all the way to Starbucks and ordered a Grande White Chocolate Mocha on ice with whipped cream. There is nothing like sugar and caffeine to perk you up! What really helped that day was that I had Bible Study to go to, and I knew that being in God's Word was going to be the best thing I did all day. Not only was it the lift I needed, but God used my dear friend, Cindy, to be the encourager I needed that morning. I also have a wonderful husband (he knows how to change paper rolls), who is my biggest support and tells me I am beautiful when I don't feel it myself.
Jesus Wept. John 11:35
Isn't it profound that the shortest verse in the Bible is about Jesus crying? That means the world to me. Jesus felt such strong emotion over the loss of a friend that he wept. When we experience loss (any loss), it is healthy for us to let out the emotion and cry.
I am often told by people that they are amazed at my strength. I can't take any credit other than being obedient to what God has called me to do. When I have those very human moments of sadness, I am thankful that it is God who lifts me up and puts me in His lap and comforts me. I would not have had the strength to make it this far (almost three years) without knowing God's promises and that everything good that happens in my life is because of His deep love and compassion for me.
What I am going through is nothing compared to what Jeremiah was facing when he wrote Lamentations. Jerusalem was in ruins, and there was not much of a future for the Israelites. Jeremiah wrote a lament about the city and the people that was filled with raw emotion. There was no worship, just deep agony and sorrow. Jeremiah wrote this:
Arise, cry out in the night, as the watches of the night begin; pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord. Lift up your hands to him! Lamentations 2:19
We can pour out our pain to the Lord. God does not want us to hold anything back. He collects our tears in a bottle (Psalm 56:8) and He want to comfort us. If you are looking for peace, remember this promise:
Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassion never fails. They are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness. I say to myself, "The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for Him." Lamentations 3:22,24
Heavenly Father, thank you for helping me through the
most difficult areas of my life. Thank you for your
compassion that never fails. You give the best hugs,
and your peace surpasses all understanding.
Love,
Sandy
