Tears Of Strength
“Just because I’m crying, do not think of me as weak.”
The words sobbed out of my throat last night.
I cry when I’m happy, sad, scared, hurt, and sometimes just because there’s a touching commercial (thanks Kleenex and Budweiser). I’m a crier.
Sometimes I feel embarrassed at how freely my emotions show. It’s one thing to cry when it seems like there’s a good reason to other people. Your dog died. You hit your funny bone. You know, something tear worthy.
My tears can sneak out at the littlest things:
~a song about kids growing up too soon
~a touching text from a friend
~the slightest reminder of a pain still carried
~the olympics (any sport)
Last night it came out of nowhere. I was doing just fine. I wasn’t upset, hurt, scared, or sad. My husband and I were just talking. It was a tough subject having nothing to do with our marriage. We’ve talked about it many times, and I’ve worked through so much pain and grief on the topic. Then the tears snuck out again.
I found myself saying, “Don’t think this means I’m weak, It means I’m strong. I’m gathering up courage to do what I need to do.”
It got me wondering about how other people see tears.
Are you a crier?
Do tears mean you’re weak?
What are your thoughts?
This post written by Colorado Life Coach, Carrie O’Toole, M.A.
I think God wires our hard drive in His womb for how we cry or not. Life can reprogram truth of who we are in regard to crying. I used to cry when young to help make peace. I cried to stop feeling. That is a long story. Barb Moore. Www .harvestmountain.org
The Bible says that God keeps our tears in a bottle. He knows what we’re crying about. Jesus wept. He is not weakness. He was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. He understands. But many times, other people don’t. They will see tears as weakness. And you can’t change their minds. Once, I was talking to a friend about my (RAD) child and later she talked to my husband about that conversation, telling him that I “fell apart” at one point in our talk and so she quit trying to talk to me. When he asked her what she meant, she explained, “Becky started crying–she fell apart.” Tears were seen as a sign of becoming irrational. Definitely a sign of weakness. I cannot change other people, but I can change myself. I can learn from these experiences and allow God to give me compassion for others and to show me that their tears is not weakness.
Hi Becky, I just saw your comment. Such great words!!Remembering that Jesus wept, and he wasn’t weak sure helps!