A Time to Just CRY!

I'm sitting here today crying. God has been doing a work in my heart for the better part of a week now. It seems God wants me to be able to mourn, to weep and wail if neccessary. In the past I have done my best to "not go there". I am afraid that if I begin to mourn, to weep and allow the flood gates to open then I just might drown myself!

You see, in the past I realized that crying doesn't fix anything. You can cry all you want and people still die, they still leave, and they will still move away. You can cry but you are still going to be in pain from abuse, betrayal or suffering. So somewhere along the way I decided it just wasn't worth it and I had cried too many tears anyway.

But I am reminded in Ecclesiastes 3:4 that there is a time to weep and a time to mourn. And unfortunately we don't always get to choose when the feelings of grief will overcome us. For example today, something happened that caused me to begin to cry for someone I love and in crying for her I realized that I was also crying for my own loss. Our circumstances were/are different but God used that to allow me to grieve once again for a Father I did not know.

This was not a bad place to be. I did not stay there. I truly am beginning to belief that until we learn to embrace those times that grief comes there will not be full healing. Jesus said "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." Matthew 5:4

So God has been teaching me to mourn. To allow the flood gates open up, to cry, weep, and wail. God has been showing me that I can mourn without falling apart. For when I allow myself to mourn it is then that God brings comfort and healing.

You have taken account of my wanderings ; Put my tears in Your bottle. Are they not in Your book ? Ps 56:8

How precious is that my dear sisters! He collects my tears in HIS bottle!

13 comments:

  1. So true my friend. A time to weep and a time for joy. I have been going through both as well lately. Isn't it amazing that even in the midst of sorrow, there is also joy too? We all have to examine ourselves once in a while. We all have to have the Lord examine our hearts as well... We are a work in progress. I really have been enjoying reading your posts. You are truly a faithful witness for Christ, and have a very helpful and encouraging ministry as well. I am so sorry you have had to go through so much.

    God bless you.

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  2. Oh Sharon...Michele covered what I wanted to share...so that leaves me with just an AMEN!

    I break so easily once I start to cry that this progression is normal for me if I let it go. But you are so right that we need to embrace it. I so thought that if I do, I will break, I will fall apart. But you know...I have been broken but He has never failed to pick up the pieces and somehow put me back together. Sometimes, it's taken quite awhile and many sad news in this world would set me off and then the Comforter would come and restore the peace, healing and hope

    This Psalm that you shared has always been so precious that our sweet Lord would gather my tears
    that they actually mattered...my bottle collection must be a site for sore eyes...but I'm so thankful

    If you need prayer...I know a place

    Peggy
    (from the Lighthouse of Prayer)
    Amazing Grace, Mazes, Messes, Miracles

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  3. Sharon, I too learned that although crying doesn't help the situation but that it doesn't hurt either. Then later in my life I learned to share my tears with someone-anyone:) I'm praying for now....Kae

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  4. Sharon, I can so relate to how you described not wanting to "go there" and give into tears for fear you may drown. I guess I still keep that place of "there" dammed up and patched up. If I let go.... I will be washed away with the flood. It's hard to tell sometimes if I am over (healed of) that part of my life because I am dealing OK right now or if I have shoved it back again, and other things have taken over the priority spot....

    Thanks for your post and your encouragement amidst your pain.

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  5. So so true. Seems like we women go from one extreme to the other. We're either hopeless, crying and staying in our grief like we don't have hope, or heartless, our hearts hard from trying to keep from feeling any more pain. Both are wrong. Both cause us to miss out on the depth of joy through the suffering.
    I love Phil 3, where it talks about sharing in the fellowship of His sufferings so that we may share in the fellowship of His resurrection. There's a time and place. You can't receive the great joy of resurrection if you're not receiving the suffering first. We suffer not as ones without hope. Our hope is in Christ- not even that the sufferings will go away eventually- but in CHRIST HIMSELF. HE IS our HOPE! We miss out on so much of HIM when we don't consider our trials pure joy. :)
    Thanks for this. I've been thinking through a lot of this myself as some friends seem to be pushing away the suffering. Sometimes I'm not sure how else to word things. This was clarifying.
    Lynette

    I

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  6. I will allow a time frame of ten minutes or so to cry then collect myself. Praise God for that verse. . My tears are in His bottle:) I will be praying for you my friend, happy your allowing yourself to mourn. You will come out praising!!

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  7. I just wanted to come by and say congratulations for being one of the Internet Cafe's Top 100 Christian Women's Blogs of 2008! You are truly a blessing. Thank you for the many ways that you serve!

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  8. Hi, I came from the Internet Cafe blog. I am one of the devotional writers there. This is my first time visiting your blog. I loved reading this. I am also a woman being changed by an extraordinary God.
    I am ruined for the ordinary.

    I too had my emotions boxed in. I felt as I was locked away in a prison, emotionally. I invited God to break through, and release me... and He did.

    I am a firm believer in the truth that until you find God's truth for those broken places you are not free to live loved. He wants to love us into the truth that sets us free. Part of that is seeing the pain of the past, grieving it, then allowing Him to heal it with His words of truth.

    Sounds to me like you are on a road of healing.

    Thanks for sharing your words. I hope you will come by for a visit. I love meeting new friends.

    Again, congratulations.
    Julie

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  9. Allowing ourselves that time is healing. I am one who is usually on a delayed timer. For instance, I didn't cry for a week after my uncle died, then the dam broke. I allowed that time and the floodgates did, indeed, open. Loss of any sort is hard, but as you said, He gathers our tears in a bottle...He knows every one we cry! Great post!

    Also, I just wanted to stop in and say congratulations for being one of the Internet Cafe's Top 100 Christian Women's Blogs of 2008! Your blog truly *does* bless!

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  10. Blessings Sharon...I'm back! Are you still crying? Tears of JOY today...I pray!

    I'm on a MISSION of 100 today.
    So I'm stopping over to add my Congratulations!!!on being one of the Top 100 at Internet Cafe!

    It is such an honor to know that we encourage & inspire others. It is for this reason I took the 2 & half hours to nominate my blog favorites
    from which you were chosen as one in the category I finally decided, I flipped you from one to this one!
    It is pure JOY to see you honored in this way. I was so touched to be included among blogs like yours!

    Thanks for being such a blessing to us all!!!

    May God continue to lead & direct you & your blog as You honor Him first!

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  11. This is a very powerful message and riddled with truth! We have to be able to cry in the presence of our Lord -- weep and wail and at times just trevailing before Him. Grief/loss is very real. While circumstances are always different we all still feel pain and it's awesome to know we can find COMFORT AND STRENGTH in the presence of our LORD.

    I also stopped by for the first time to say I give God the glory for what you're doing in Christ being recognized on your blog in the Internet Cafe.

    God bless you as you keep your heart close to HIS.

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  12. This is a powerful post...I stopped by to Congratulate you on your top blog and ended up reading and reading your other post...what a beautiful heart you have :) And I really liked your ordinary woman being changed by an extraordinary God...what a wonderful thought!

    Blessings to you.

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  13. Congrats on being in the top 100 of the internet cafe. I am so glad you offer a place for women like ourselves to come and know we are not alone in this healing process. Yet even though you have days like this, it is evident where your hope and strength is found. I have been crying with you lately...over my mom and dad's death, over past abuse I'm still working through, over the way I've let it effect my life-my emotions, my thought life, my marriage. This is so important to have other Christain sisters around to help in the healing. Thank you. The comments from others here are amazing as well. God Bless us all!

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Leave me some joy...