The gift of Tears

Admin Sun 24 Aug 2014 - 18:39

The Gift of Tears

Jerry Bronsma told how he once shared a painful
emotional wound with a friend.

As I shared, he said with amazement, she began to cry.
"Nobody ever cried for my pain before," explained
Jerry. Then he said this: "Her tears healed me a lot
more than if she had read many Bible verses with me or
even if she had just prayed. It made me feel she
understood what I was feeling and that my distress was
reasonable."

Too often we try to stop people from crying. We grab a
box of tissues to dry the water as quickly as possible.
But tears are a gift of God. When tears flow, toxins
are emptying out of our system and well-being is
enhanced. Tears express our feelings powerfully in ways
mere words cannot. Words often conceal--tears are
honest.

In Biblical times families would bring in gifted
weepers to prime the pump of tears in the others. They
would stand and wail, causing others to weep. Tears
were recognized as needed and appropriate-- not a
weakness or an unwanted or embarrassing bother.

So Jerry Bronsma recognized this rare gift when his
friend wept with him. Her tears gave him permission to
cry more. Plus her tears spoke deeply of her empathy
and compassion for him. Her tears were a profound
message of care and kindness, too rare today.

From Jim Kok's Care and Kindness Ministries.
(c) www.careandkindness.org/Thoughts/Thoughts36.php

ww.charactercounts.org.