“There is a sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are the messengers of overwhelming grief, of deep contrition, and of unspeakable love.”
– Washington Irving
Grief is a normal part of life. Good things happen and heart wrenching things happen. When we process pain well, we mourn.
Mourning is a way to express the pain of something we cannot control or explain. Loss hurts but there is hope on the other side.
Hebrews 12:11
Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame and sat down at the right hand of the Father.
Jesus knew pain as He endured the cross. He also knew that there was joy on the other side. He had tears of agony. He pleaded for it to be taken away because of the intensity of sorrow.
Tears can pool up enough to drown any person if we don’t release them. Tears take the pain, releasing it by comforting the person.
Tears can have a healthy place of tearing things away that want to become lodged and stuck in our soul.
Without expressing grief through praying, talking with someone, and shedding tears, we can get stuck in the cycle of grief. With no expression of what to do with the pain.
1) Tears Release Us
Tears come as a gift to let go.
It’s as if God himself collects them in bowls carrying them close to his heart. Not one of them is lost or spilled. Collected as an offering to trust Him when we cannot understand. And when the why never gets answered.
They help us let go and let God comfort us in our brokenness. Brokenness can create a place for more openness.
Psalm 30:5
Weeping may endure for a night but Joy comes in the morning.
New mornings come when we process the pain of our personal Gethsemane. Some call it the dark night of the soul. Jesus knew this type of pain and emotional anguish.
Matthew 5:4
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.Jeremiah 29:11
I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you a future and a hope.
2) Grieving Helps us let go
Grieving helps you release pain and the disappointment of what you have experienced but God will do something new in the next season you enter into.
Isaiah 61:3
…and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.
Not a single thing we go through is wasted in our lives. With the same comfort that we have been comforted with, we can comfort others.
We can’t give what we haven’t received. But once we are equipped, we encounter opportunities. The need to mourn is as necessary as the need to receive a deposit in your heart.
Now that you are approaching the morning is there someone you can help by sharing your story? Rays of sunshine interrupt the lie that all of your days will remain dark. Joy truly does come in the morning.
3) Hope Arises
Morning comes. In every season of our lives God is doing something fresh. We grieve the old to make room for the new. We can’t hold onto the past and move into the future. New relationships, opportunities and adventures wait with you in mind.
New doors open because you are prepared to walk through them. Ready to face the challenge. Ready to use the story of how you were comforted and give hope to others.
It’s Your Turn
In what ways has mourning led you to the next morning?
We can walk through hard times knowing He has walked through them before us.
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