“The Gift of Tears”
Sol Nunez told how he once shared a painful emotional wound with a friend. “She began to cry”, he said with amazement. “Nobody ever cried for my pain before”, explained Sol. “Her tears healed me a lot more than if she had read many Bible verses with me or even if she just prayed. It made me feel she understood what I was feeling and that my response was acceptable”.
Reflection: Too often we try to stop people from crying. We respond as if tears are a sign we have gone beyond an appropriate boundary. So we back off or grab a box of tissues to dry the water up as quickly as possible. Tears are a gift of God. When they flow toxins are emptying out and well-being is enhanced. Tears express our feelings powerfully in ways mere words cannot. Words often conceal. Tears are honest.
In Biblical times families would bring in gifted weepers to prime the pump of tears in the others. They would stand and wail causing others to weep. Tears were recognized as needed and appropriate not as an unwanted or embarrassing bother.
So Sol Nunez recognized the rare gift he received when his friend wept with him Her tears gave him permission to cry more. Plus her tears spoke deeply of her empathy and compassion for him. Her tears were a profound message of care and kindness too rare in our very verbal world.
Sol Nunez told how he once shared a painful emotional wound with a friend. “She began to cry”, he said with amazement. “Nobody ever cried for my pain before”, explained Sol. “Her tears healed me a lot more than if she had read many Bible verses with me or even if she just prayed. It made me feel she understood what I was feeling and that my response was acceptable”.
Reflection: Too often we try to stop people from crying. We respond as if tears are a sign we have gone beyond an appropriate boundary. So we back off or grab a box of tissues to dry the water up as quickly as possible. Tears are a gift of God. When they flow toxins are emptying out and well-being is enhanced. Tears express our feelings powerfully in ways mere words cannot. Words often conceal. Tears are honest.
In Biblical times families would bring in gifted weepers to prime the pump of tears in the others. They would stand and wail causing others to weep. Tears were recognized as needed and appropriate not as an unwanted or embarrassing bother.
So Sol Nunez recognized the rare gift he received when his friend wept with him Her tears gave him permission to cry more. Plus her tears spoke deeply of her empathy and compassion for him. Her tears were a profound message of care and kindness too rare in our very verbal world.
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