Jesus Wept

Jesus wept. This simple phrase has an entire verse dedicated to it. John 11:35- "Jesus Wept." Why does the Bible have such a peculiar message tucked inside its hundreds of pages? Its thousands of verses? Its millions of lessons? I think this picture sums it up.

Photo credit: Holy Sews, Inc. Facebook page - 12/7/2019

We, as believers in Jesus Christ, have hope in the promise that life on Earth is not all there is. That one day we will be with God in Heaven, and that all brokenness, sin, and death will be gone forever. But that doesn't mean we can't be sad. That doesn't mean we can't cry.
As humans, we experience intense emotion. We feel happiness, excitement, love. But we also feel sadness, depression, heartbreak. These are all a natural part of life. Jesus experienced this.
Even as a human on Earth, Jesus knew everything, because He was still God. He knew what was coming, He knew the love in the present, and the triumph in the future. He knew that Lazerus was coming back to life. But He still cried.
If the Creator of the universe can cry when someone dies, would it not seem perfectly fine for mere mortals, created in the likeness of the Creator, to also cry? And not just in death, but when someone hurts you, when it was a horrible day at work, when that relationship ended. You may realize at the time, a few days later, a few years later, that those things were temporary, and were so small compared to what lies ahead. But that doesn't mean you can't feel the pain now, that you can't mourn now, that you can't cry in the moment, because it does hurt. There's no getting around the pain, you always have to go through it (Ps. 23:4a).
There is nothing more comforting to a hurting heart than someone who will cry with you. Jesus knew this. He cried with Mary and Martha. He felt the sting of the death of His friend, but He also felt the pain it caused the others who also loved Lazerus. Jesus reminded the others of the coming glory, but He also took the time to mourn with them, just as it says in Romans 12:15 - "Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep."
If you see someone else hurting, just weep with them.
If you are the person that is hurting, and you feel like it's a small thing, but you just feel the pain of it, it's okay to cry. It's okay to feel the pain, even if you know it will go away.