Guest Writer Monday: Marvin's Turn!

Thanks for sharing your words of truth and hope with us, Marvin!

Let’s jump right into a familiar topic. It is a universal human experience, a mysterious phenomenon that appears in every culture throughout history. Studies have shown that women do it five times as often as men and that 85% of the women and 73% of the men thought that doing it made them feel better. Research has indicated that people report they feel some sense of relief after doing this. I can vouch for that. Researchers say that there is a significant increase in the number, type and amount of stress hormones released in our bodies prior to doing this. Consistently, researchers find that its product contains stress hormones. This is a critical finding since we know stress hormones cause damage to nearly all of our bodily systems. It is something we have all had experience doing. What is my topic? Crying. Crying? Yes, crying. There are several definitions for this word: to call out, shout, to proclaim publicly, to appeal, to entreat, but I am talking about crying, as it relates to weeping.

I googled song titles about crying and here are a few I found with my own commentary.

Cry Cry Cry - Johnny Cash (OK!)
Cry One More Time - Gram Parsons (I’m sure I will.)
Ain't No Good to Cry - Allman Brothers (say’s who?)
It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry - Bob Dylan (a train?)
You Don't Have to Cry - Crosby Stills and Nash (Why not?)
It Only Hurts When I Cry - Dwight Yoakam (Well stop it!)
I've Got Tears in My Ears from Lyin' on My Back in My Bed While I Cry Over You (Huh?)
"Black Eyes, Blue Tears" by Shania Twain (My eyes are dark brown.)
I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Cry Over You- (You have to be comfortable to have a good one.)
Big Girls Don't Cry -Four Seasons (Really?)
You Don't Have To Be A Baby To Cry -The Caravelles (Duh!)
Cry Baby - Janis Joplin (So!)
Joe Cocker - Cry Me A River (I have been close.)
Don't Cry Out Loud -Melissa Manchester (Sometimes I can help it!)
Who's Crying Now-Journey- (You tell me!)

The title of Don Goodwin’s song entitled, “Time To Cry,” reminds me of what Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 3:4, that life seems to alternate between tragedy and comedy. He said there is a time to weep and a time to laugh. One minute in this life you are cracking your side laughing and the next minute life can serve you a blow that will make you think you could literally cry a river.

Can you remember the last time you cried or had an encounter with this mysterious phenomenon? I can. About a month ago, and friend and I were sharing frustrations about work. She was still so upset that she began to cry. I was on the verge, but did not, UNTIL I got back to my office. As I was typing an email the flood gates opened. My grandmother called me recently and tearfully informed me that my mother’s best friend had passed away. Two Saturday’s ago, I sat at her funeral and looked in the obituary and there was a picture that I had never seen of her and my mother (who passed away in 1995) and I cried. I must have released a lot of stress hormones that day! A tough looking guy sat in my office and cried a couple of weeks ago, as he told me that he had just found out that morning that his ex-girlfriend was HIV positive. A young lady called me recently crying as she asked me to pray for her. I cried when I lost my mother, when we lost a baby, and even when I watched the movie Blindside recently, I quietly shed a few tears. I am man enough to admit that I sometimes cry! Now let me ask you a question. What makes you cry? Heartbreak, pain, prolonged stress, loss, sorrow, disappointment, injustice, anger, anxiety, fear, helplessness, desperation, traumatic events, loneliness, unrighteousness, and simple daily hassles can all lead to tears.

Do I consider myself a crybaby? No. The definition for “crybaby” is one who cries easily or often. I would not say I cry easily or often, but there are those times and circumstances that turn on my eye faucets. Am I embarrassed, ashamed? Not when I read my bible.

Esau cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry when Jacob stole his birthright.
Israel cried when they were in bondage.
Moses cried unto the Lord on behalf of his sister, Miriam, when she was struck with leprosy.
Samuel cried unto the Lord for Israel when they were attacked by the Philistines.
Elisha tore his clothes and cried in grief when he saw Elijah taken up by a whirlwind into Heaven.
Tamar cried after being raped by her half-brother, Amnon.
Mordecai cried over the decree issued ordering a mass execution of the Jews.
David cried. Just read the Psalms to hear him lament.
There are numerous accounts of people crying in the New Testament. Many came crying to Jesus to be healed or in the case of Jairus’ daughter, crying because she had died.

These are only a few biblical examples. The list could be very lengthy. But, I am most encouraged that the bible indicates that my Savior also shed tears. I have a Savior who has been here and done that. John 11:35, the shortest verse in the bible, but a touching one, reveals that when Lazarus died, Jesus wept. In Luke 19:41, He wept over Jerusalem, the city He knew would slay Him. I have a Savior who knows what it is like to live in this sinful world and in this flesh. He was despised, rejected, a man of sorrow, acquainted with grief, mocked, scorned, spat on, lied on, and misunderstood. He suffered and was crucified. We don’t have a high priest in Heaven interceding for us, who cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities. He left the comforts of Heaven to identify with the man he was going to redeem. He knows what we are going through. Those reasons I mentioned that makes us cry are a result of Adam’s sin. His sin not only affected mankind, but all creation. The results of man’s sin have screeched throughout all creation, like fingernails on a chalkboard. Even the ground was cursed. The fact is that when creation looks back to the ideal conditions that existed in the Garden of Eden and sees the mess we are in today due to the entrance of sin, no wonder Paul says in Romans that the whole creation groans and longs to be delivered from this sobbing, sighing and suffering world. Don’t you?

Here is the good news about crying. One day it will cease! If you don’t believe me, believe what Jesus told John. “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." 5He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true." If you don’t believe me, Jesus’ words are trustworthy and true.

So, when you cry down here, thank God for the relief that comes through tears. But, I want to challenge you to target your tears. When you cry, cry out to Him. He is your source, your help, your strength, your relief, your deliverer. I thank him for temporary deliverance down here, whether through his divine deliverance out of a situation, relief through tears, or giving me grace to deal with whatever I may be facing at the time. But, I do know there will be a permanent, eternal deliverance! Romans 8:18 tells us to consider this, “that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us.” Whatever you suffer here that makes you cry, doesn’t come close to what is to come! So, you better do all your crying now, because you couldn’t cry in Heaven, even if you wanted to! Crying will be NO MORE!

I recently bought a bag of bubble gum called “Crybaby.” On the bag it reads: “Crybaby (caution) You’ll only cry for 40 seconds. Stay with it!” The gum is very sour initially. You will grimace, pucker and may even cry. But, if you keep chewing, it gets sweet. I want to encourage you to keep chewing away at life. It can be bitter at times, but if you believe what Jesus told John, crying will end. And, as Paul said, it’s not worthy to be compared to the sweetness or the glory that will be revealed later.

{Please read the below post if you missed it...I need help with a couple of questions!}