There's nothing wrong with a good cry

"You number and record my wanderings; put my tears into your bottle - are they not in your bottle?"

- Psalm 56:8 (AMP)

These nonstop rainy days make me imagine the raindrops falling from the sky are tears falling from heaven. It reminds me we were created by God as beings with emotions, and sometimes we all need to have a good cry.

Crying can be a confusing and conflicting emotion, because many of us have been told by well-meaning parents or others don't cry. You need to just toughen up and hold back those tears. And if you're a man, the expectations to hold back the tears is even greater.

Although I believe people have good intentions by these sentiments, they aren't realistic in many situations. How do you hold back the tears when you've just lost a loved one, your job, or something is deeply troubling you? I don't know about you, but I have a good cry.

I notice there is something mystical about a good, hardy session of crying. I don't necessarily mean in front of everyone, although, at times that's OK, too. But when I retreat to a private place between me and God and just let out my tears and fears, afterward I'm more relaxed and, many times, want to take a nap or rest. I believe this is the purpose of tears.

With my background in nursing, I like to look at scientific studies. One of my favorites is on tears. There is scientific evidence proving tears contain stress hormones. These hormones increase in our systems under great amounts of stress. When we cry, we are cleansing our system and releasing our bottled-up emotions.

That's why it can feel like a relief when we cry. I believe that's why God created tears.

I'm not suggesting we get stuck in self-pity and sadness. However, while we're on our way to fulfilling hopes and dreams and experience life's disappointments, we cry.

The Bible informs us, "Jesus wept," (John 3:11 AMP), and the God of the universe collects our tears in a bottle. I believe this means he has counted and recorded every tear we shed.

Somehow, in his ability to do so, God will use the things that have brought us to tears to transform us and others around us. God's purpose is to make us stronger individuals. His servant Job observed this during his troubled times: "He sends forth the (rains) and they overwhelm the land and transform it." (Job 12:15 AMP).

If we are wise, we will let God use our rainy days to transform us. Instead of being overwhelmed by them, we will release our bottled-up emotions in the form of healthy tears and, after a good cry, we will dust off fears and move on. We will manage our emotions and not allow them to manage us.

• Annettee Budzban is a Christian author, speaker, life coach and nurse. She is hosting a writing conference Saturday, June 8, at the Libertyville Civic Center. Contact Annettee for details and to register at annetteebudzban@aol.com or (847) 543-8413.