I’ve told my kids many times to stop acting like a baby. I know I shouldn’t, but I don’t like whining or unneccessary crying.
But I cry all the time. I cry watching The Extreme Home Makeover, Three Wishes, and movies, even the animated movie, Spirit. I cry listening to music or reading a good book. I cry when I’m sorry or when I’m truly thankful. I cry when others cry. I cry about my sin.
This week, I cried picking up a mouse, still alive, stuck to a glue trap. I tried a humane trap first and caught nothing. And for the last five weeks, I cried every time I spoke with my Life Coach over the phone.
So why is it okay for me to cry, but not okay for my kids? What’s up with me and my tears? I feel like a cry baby. I can’t control my emotions. Sometimes I’m embarrassed. I think I need more self control. I think I need to just grow up. Other times, I embrace my emotions as a gift from God. Tears are my way of really living. If I hid my tears, I would be a fake.
***What makes you cry?***
(c) 2005 Tiffany Stuart
Tiffany, your unashamed and unreserved tears are one of the ways you encourage me to really live life too. You make it safe, even inviting to FEEL. What a gift. Thank you.
There are times in my life when tears come so easily, when emotions are so close to the surface that it doesn’t take much for the water works to pour forth. Other times, tears that I think might come remain inside. Sometimes I think it’s weird that I don’t cry about certain things I think I “should” cry about!
One thing that almost always makes me cry – or at least tear up – is a baptism! There is something about a person who has committed their life to Christ publicly that when they come up out of the water, it just overwhelms me. The hymn “It is Well With My Soul” almost always makes me cry.
I do believe tears are God’s gift to us. They offer cleansing. Healing. My mom used to tell me just to go and have a “good cry” and I would feel better. She was right, there is something “good” about crying.
Thanks Tiffany for another opportunity to know you through your writing! You just get better and better!
Tiffany-this is why I love you, because you’re tenderness/gentleness in all conversational matters. We cry a lot together as well. For us to cry together is just rejoicing in the power, mercy and Grace of our Lord Jesus. Seeing the beauty as you’ve shown in your cloud photo and hearing testimonies of believers and even the “unsaved” is the incredible driving force behind the tears! The Holy spirit that is within us is so “sensitive to our words and heart of emotions”. I even went as far to see the Dr. to see if I was going through pre-menapause because everything moved me and made me BAL. Blood work shows, “not even near”. So, it’s all Jesus!! Wheww!! At least for me personally. There are just days I just shouldn’t even wear eye makeup:) Love you:)