BIG BOYS DO CRY
John 11:35
Jesus wept.
When we were growing up, my brother was always active in sports, particularly baseball, basketball, and track. As a result, I spent a lot of time sitting in the bleachers, watching and listening to the events. Yes, I said listening, because you often hear a lot of things being said or, more often, yelled during these games. Sadly, most of that yelling came from the fathers of these young athletes, and they weren’t praising their work or good plays. Instead, they yelled things like, “Suck it up, you’re not hurt” or “Quit acting like a baby and shake it off.”
Now, I was only three years and nine months older than my brother, so at the age of 10 to 12, I began to wonder what was wrong with these fathers. A few words of encouragement go a long way over words of humiliation in front of their teammates and coaches. One of the worst things a person can do to another is break their spirit, and that is easily done when words are used to hurt someone.
Nowhere in the rulebook does it say it’s okay to yell at your child. Nowhere does it say that a child can’t shed a tear if they get injured. I’ve seen NFL players cry tears as they are being carted off following an injury on the field.
What the Dad doesn’t see are the tears that are shed when that young boy is alone by himself thinking that he isn’t good enough, that he isn’t living up to his Dad’s expectations. That he is weak for crying and not being tough like a man should be.
Crying is an emotion that can evoke a range of feelings, including joy, sadness, grief, pain, and even laughter. If you’ve never laughed until you cried, you’re missing out on an incredible experience. It’s the best feeling ever, and it’s even more special when you share that laughter with friends.
The Bible states that Jesus cries on 3 occasions. The most well known is when he wept at the tomb of Lazarus when he sees Lazarus’ sisters , Mary and Martha weeping over their brother’s death; even though he know he was about to raise Lazarus from the dead, he wept. He also wept for Jerusalem, knowing that the city will be destroyed for rejecting him. This shows his sorrow for the spiritual blindness of the people and the impending consequences of their actions. And lastly, in the Garden of Gethsemane he wept with loud cries and tears to God expressing his intense struggle and anguish as he prepared to sacrifice himself.
I have a picture of Steve that the photographer captured of him at his daughters wedding, sitting on a bench outside the room where she is getting ready. His head is bowed and silent tears run down his face, because that day he was handing over his daughter to another man, to take care of and provide for her. So Dad’s, when you’re yelling at your sons telling them that big boys don’t cry; yes, they do. Because Dad’s do cry, even our Heavenly Father cries.
Psalm 34:18
The Lord is close to the broken hearted, he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.
Jesus wept.
When we were growing up, my brother was always active in sports, particularly baseball, basketball, and track. As a result, I spent a lot of time sitting in the bleachers, watching and listening to the events. Yes, I said listening, because you often hear a lot of things being said or, more often, yelled during these games. Sadly, most of that yelling came from the fathers of these young athletes, and they weren’t praising their work or good plays. Instead, they yelled things like, “Suck it up, you’re not hurt” or “Quit acting like a baby and shake it off.”
Now, I was only three years and nine months older than my brother, so at the age of 10 to 12, I began to wonder what was wrong with these fathers. A few words of encouragement go a long way over words of humiliation in front of their teammates and coaches. One of the worst things a person can do to another is break their spirit, and that is easily done when words are used to hurt someone.
Nowhere in the rulebook does it say it’s okay to yell at your child. Nowhere does it say that a child can’t shed a tear if they get injured. I’ve seen NFL players cry tears as they are being carted off following an injury on the field.
What the Dad doesn’t see are the tears that are shed when that young boy is alone by himself thinking that he isn’t good enough, that he isn’t living up to his Dad’s expectations. That he is weak for crying and not being tough like a man should be.
Crying is an emotion that can evoke a range of feelings, including joy, sadness, grief, pain, and even laughter. If you’ve never laughed until you cried, you’re missing out on an incredible experience. It’s the best feeling ever, and it’s even more special when you share that laughter with friends.
The Bible states that Jesus cries on 3 occasions. The most well known is when he wept at the tomb of Lazarus when he sees Lazarus’ sisters , Mary and Martha weeping over their brother’s death; even though he know he was about to raise Lazarus from the dead, he wept. He also wept for Jerusalem, knowing that the city will be destroyed for rejecting him. This shows his sorrow for the spiritual blindness of the people and the impending consequences of their actions. And lastly, in the Garden of Gethsemane he wept with loud cries and tears to God expressing his intense struggle and anguish as he prepared to sacrifice himself.
I have a picture of Steve that the photographer captured of him at his daughters wedding, sitting on a bench outside the room where she is getting ready. His head is bowed and silent tears run down his face, because that day he was handing over his daughter to another man, to take care of and provide for her. So Dad’s, when you’re yelling at your sons telling them that big boys don’t cry; yes, they do. Because Dad’s do cry, even our Heavenly Father cries.
Psalm 34:18
The Lord is close to the broken hearted, he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.
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