“The cattle are lowing, the poor Baby wakes, but little Lord Jesus, no crying He makes.”
– Away in a Manger
How soothing and serene. What would Christmas be like without the beautiful song, Away
in a Manger? Yet the lyrics include an interesting take on Jesus’ emotions and tears. The songwriter seems to suggest that because He was the little Lord Jesus that He did not cry when startled by the cows. I’m going out on a limb here to say that Jesus probably cried as an infant. He certainly shed real tears in His adult life, so why would crying as a baby be a problem?
Jesus wept. – John 11:35
In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety.
– Hebrews 5:7
I point this out because crying is sometimes equated with being weak or negative. This is probably even more true at this time of year when there is pressure to be merry and happy. Yet a good cry can be cleansing to the soul. A release of built-up and harmful emotions can be a positive step toward serenity.
Now I realize that some of you are probably wondering how to stop crying. I struggled with excessive tears and self-pity during my cancer battle. Keep in mind the holidays are notorious for drawing out some blues in many of us. All I can suggest is to not focus on trying to make ourselves happy. Focus on the One Who not only shed tears for us, but shed His blood for us as well. He is always “large and in charge.” I believe Jesus cried on Christmas and He is not judging our tears.
Lord, help us release our emotion to You as we know You hear the cries of our hearts.
I was just diagnosed and I’m frightened out of my mind and cannot imagine going through what is ahead. I cannot sleep and I so worn out and I know this is only the beginning. I need to go to Johns Hopkins and stay near but I’m having difficulty finding a spot to stay while I go through this. I just feel like giving up.