Don't Cry

Chinese New Year is suppose to be a time when everyone is happy, collecting angpaos and wishing one another joy and wealth. For myself however, having to smile and laugh, greet people and pretend that all is well when inside, when actually I am getting by minute by minute with mixed feelings and random thoughts, can be so tiring. Sometimes, the emotions can become so overwhelming that they are suppressed only by fears of shame and humiliation; that socially from every perspective, I am suppose to be tough, strong and unshakable.

In the quiet darkness, in the moments of my Quiet Time with my Lord, some of the greatest comfort comes to me from His Word. Phrases usually overshadowed, overlooked, and browsed over, with no meaning except during moments like this, can come like the soft gust of wind, lifting up a weary soul in his pain.

Luke 7:13
When the Lord saw her, His heart went out to her and He said, "Don't cry."

Don't cry. That's what He said. He hurts too when we hurt. And from where He stands, His hand is outstreched to lift us to our feet. The hand that heals. The hand that supports. The hand that cups our cheeks and wipes away our tears.

If I am to imitate Jesus, then I'm to bring these two words to the world. To both the rich and the poor, the strong and the weak, the beautiful and the ugly, the good and the bad. The powerful and the powerless, the healthy and the handicapped, the white and the black, both ends of the earth.

For those of you who are reading this post, and who are hurting deep inside, don't cry my friends, princes and princesses you are.
For those of you whom God has decided to fill your heart with joy this season, ask the Lord to show you those around you who hurt, and pass on the message.

Don't cry.