Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Is it Okay For Christians to Cry?

Is it okay for Christians to cry, to grieve, to express emotions?  When Nehemiah heard the Jewish exiles, who had survived the exile, were in great trouble and the walls of Jerusalem were broken down, he wept.

Nehemiah 1:4 "When I heard these things, I sat down and wept.  For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven." 

Nehemiah wept, mourned, fasted and prayed - for some days.  He expressed the emotions he felt for his people and their plight.  He didn't ignore his hurt as we sometimes think Christians should.  We are not being honest if we ignore our emotions.  Are we being immature as Selwyn Hughes says in Every Day Light (pg. 67)?  "Regardless of our spiritual maturity, we will feel the pain of misfortune or loss acutely.  To pretend that we do not is evidence of immaturity."

Go ahead and allow yourself to feel these emotions that come from loss, hurt, betrayal, etc., but don't wallow in them.  Remember Nehemiah's example - weep, mourn, fast if God leads you to and definitely pray.  Then, get busy doing what God leads you to do and maybe, it will be rebuilding a "wall" as it was for Nehemiah.

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