Originally posted 2017-09-01 11:02:04.
Hi!
Well! It is Countdown Day-9. There’s an old adage that says, “What a difference a day makes.” Sometimes, it’s better to say, “What a difference a few hours make.” Why?
How often do you wake up full of joy? When that happens; does your joy remain throughout the day? Has your cheerfulness left suddenly; without anyone or anything bothering you? How? Why?
What a difference a few hours make.
Tuesday, morning and afternoon, I was full of joy; from thinking about my daughter. It was August 29; her birthdate. My son-in-law, grandson and I sang, “Happy birthday,” in memory of Mika. Jordan blew out the 3 and 7 candles that were on the cake James bought. It was so joyful watching Jordan sing, “Happy birthday,” in memory of his mommy. Appreciation flooded my heart.
When they left; laughter and joy consumed me. What a wonderful feeling. My grandson was so happy. Even though his mommy is gone; he had fun remembering her.
One of our family traditions; Mika started, lives on. I’m so appreciative to the Lord, for blessing Jordan with a wonderful dad. James must have felt the pain of his wife being deceased. Yet he put aside his grief to help his son experience a glimpse of joy. It was such a selfless act.
But, a few hours later….
After James and Jordan left; I went to church. It was the last day of the 3 day revival; and I didn’t want to miss it. The day before; I wasn’t feeling well; and stayed home from church. That morning, I woke up with an excruciating headache; and went to a scheduled doctors appointment. The doctor drained fluid from my knee and gave me a shot. The headache pain; and pain in my knee remained until it was time for church. I texted the Chief of Staff and let him know I would not be at church; and the reason.
But, this day; Mika’s birthdate; the physical pain had subsided.
At church, during praise and worship; as I sang and lifted my hands to the Lord; tears began to flow. Sorrow from missing Mika filled my heart. I felt uncomfortable; especially after having published a joyful blog post, earlier that day; expressing my appreciation. The question, was, “Why the tears of sorrow?” Crying wasn’t on my mind the entire day. So why now? I don’t remember the worship song we were singing. All I know is that my heart began to ache as I praised the Lord. The tears flowed like a river.
Then I heard. “Rochelle, those bottled up tears were held back earlier by joy. Jordan needed to see you full of joy. But the pain needs a release. No better time; than at church; under the corporate anointing.” This brings me to today’s words; “Release and tears.”
Wow! A verse of a song just came to my heart. “Your tears;” by: Bishop Paul Morton. “Your tears are just temporary relief. Your tears are just a release of the pain, sorrow, grief. Your tears are expressions that can’t be controlled. A little crying out is alright, but after a while you won’t have to cry no more; don’t you worry, God’s gonna wipe every tear away.”
Those words are encouraging. The tears I cried Tuesday night helped me release the pain. Thank you Jesus.
What about you?
Have you ever been so wound up until you felt like screaming? Did you hold back the tears? How did that make you feel? Did you go on and cry? How did you feel afterwards?
Have you ever been so angry until tears started flowing? Why? Perhaps the tears shed because you really wanted to tell someone off; or punch them. But, ration (the Holy Spirit) told you to stay calm. That was a war going on inside of you. Self wanted to override caution.
What about spontaneous tears?
How often have you cried suddenly? Did the tears release the pain? That’s a good thing. It doesn’t matter if people think you’re too sensitive. That’s their opinion. Some people misconstrue your tears as a sign of hurt feelings from their words. But, your tears may not have anything to do with them hurting you. You might be listening to the Lord telling you, “Don’t say that!” Especially when you want to say something YOU KNOW will hurt someone’s feelings.
There are so many more reasons for your tears.
Your tears may originate from your heart aching over the loss of a loved one. You may have recently broken off a relationship. You might be dealing with financial difficulties. You may have received a devastating diagnosis from the doctor. In these cases; anything can trigger tears.
Sometimes fear causes tears. Thinking the worst is going to happen brings fear. But we must know and believe the scripture; “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7 KJV
When grief and feeling alone causes tears; we can take comfort that Jesus is with us. He said in His Word; “…..and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” Matthew 28:20 (b) KJV
Tears release pain
My friends, I’m so glad for tears. They don’t have to always be a result of sorrow. Bad feelings rest in our minds. But tears coupled with the Good News of the Gospel can release sadness. Tears can cause joy to spring forth. Think about it. Have you ever felt relief after you cried? In those situations, did you sigh, “Whew, I’m glad I got that out?” Now carry on!
Don’t forget; tears can also be, “Tears of joy.”
Have you ever been so happy or thankful; until you cried? What a wonderful feeling. Tears can come from: “Marriage; the birth of a baby; accomplishing a goal; promotions; seeing others give their lives to Christ; seeing others succeed; and many more.”
Thanks for joining me today. This first of the month has a refreshing feeling to it. God’s personal promises in His Word are releasing and wiping the tears away. Praise God!
This journey is awesome. More layers are peeling back. Tears of sorrow are becoming more and more temporary. Trusting in God is growing stronger. I’m looking forward to Countdown Day-8. We will talk soon.
Blessings!
Rochelle
