Do you hesitate to admit when you are sad? Are you tired of covering up all that sadness deep within? Will you ponder with me what is underneath all that hiding and consider letting God share in your sorrow? It might even lighten the load.
After all, Jesus wept. So if He shed tears, it must be a sign it’s a normal and healthy reaction to have sorrow. #sorrow #Jesuswept #sad Click To Tweet“Jesus wept.” John 11:35
“As Jesus approached Jerusalem and saw the city, He wept over it.” Luke 19:41
Five Reasons We Hesitate to Admit to Feeling Sad
- We have always been the optimist of the family – the one who sees the silver lining in everything.
- Someone else seems to have it harder than us, so we don’t feel entitled to our own emotions.
- Fear sets in, and we are concerned this is a path with no return.
- We are worried others will think we have little faith.
- We fail to realize two emotions can exist at the same time. One will not cancel the other out.
Oh, I have entertained every single one of the reasons above and still struggle from time to time to acknowledge my feelings matter. However, over time I have learned when I hesitate to admit my sadness, it leads to more pain, frustration, and sometimes even anger. Plus, it tends to explode out when I least expect it.
How about you? Why are you hesitant to admit when you are sad? #feelings #sad Click To Tweet
Admit When You Are Sad
As I awakened on Mother’s Day, I could feel a sadness begin creeping in. At first, I pushed hard as if I could drive it away. When that didn’t work, I tried to put a spin of optimism on it. After all, I was with two out of three children, and I would get to see my momma from a distance.
But slowly, those emotions welled up in my heart. No hugs for my momma, a child not present, and a very different Mother’s Day than what I had expected when I first became a momma. But I have been doing this song and dance for too many years to count. I know embracing the sadness, and joy is a necessity for a successful day.
So I sat down with God for a few minutes and let the tears drop as I penned a letter to Him. I voiced my sadness for what I had hoped it would be. And then without a doubt in my mind, I embraced all the goodness the day had to offer.
Two emotions can exist at the same time, and one will not cancel the other out. Click To Tweet
Featured Post
This week our featured post is from Trudy Den Hoed. She encourages us to go back to the basics of feelings. Trudy reminds us ever so kindly that God cares about each one of us and what we feel matters to Him.
God Cares
“Not one tear, whether on our cheek or in our heart, escapes His notice and compassion.” Trudy Den Hoed
Now for our Featured Post
“How Do You Feel? Back to the Basics of Feelings”
Written by Trudy Den Hoed
Click here to read our featured post.
Will you look within and share with us a feeling you may be trying to cover up?
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This has been such a season of feeling sadness for so many reasons. At first I don’t think I even recognized it as grief per se. But it helped once I was able to name it. I’m glad you featured Trudy’s post. She has such a beautiful heart and cuts to the nitty-gritty truth of the matter.
Lisa,
I agree naming it is key. Maree
Yes, this Mother’s day was very different.
I felt very sad leading up to the day, as the restrictions & my health was going to prohibit seeing my daughters & grandchildren 🙁
But I had a surprise visit from my youngest daughter (without my grandchildren, they stayed at home with their Dad) on the Saturday afternoon which cheered me up no end & was allowed within the rules as long as we kept to social distancing in our home.
I also got to chat with my other two daughters & grandies on Mother’s day who live a 1,000km away interstate, one grandchild also living in London, receiving messages of love from my stepdaughters too. 😀
My mother lives 10 hours return road trip from here. So we don’t often spend Mother’s day together with both of us having chronic health conditions. But I did get to chat with her via the phone.
So all told it was very different but still a lovely blessing after all! 😉
Bless you Maree,
Jennifer
Jennifer.
Thank you for sharing. Your Mother’s Day sounded splendid, with a few surprises. I am so glad you were able to make the most of it. Maree
I’m so grateful God never condemns our feelings and gives us His grace to walk through them. Thank you, Maree, for your encouragement and for featuring my post. Love and blessings to you!
It was an honor to feature your post. Thank you for sharing it with us. Maree
Jesus knows our hearts. Our stories. The sorrows and joys. There’s no condemnation from Him. He offers us mercy and love. I am so grateful!
I am right there with you so grateful for God’s mercy and love. Maree
Hi, Maree, I recently read something by Frederick Buechner that I’m trying to decide if I agree with: he ponders the idea that Jesus’s parable of the talents is about our pain as well. We can invest it and grow in riches from it–or we can bury it and gain nothing.
Such an interesting thought…
Michele –
Thank you for sharing this idea. I had never looked at the parable in this manner—an interesting thought to ponder.
However, I do believe we have a choice as to our pain. Some will grow, and some will become bitter.
Maree
I used to think that I had to be bright and smiley and positive all the time to be a good testimony. But then I realized people identify with us more when we’re real, when we admit we have all kinds of feelings. The psalms are such a good example; so is Jesus as He wept in sorrow. Plus I not dealing with emotions only allows them to grow and fester. It’s a newer thought to me that two different, even opposite emotions can exist at the same time. I’ve experienced that without realizing it.
Barbara,
Thank you for sharing. I used to think the same thing. I do love the Psalms; they helped me to turn it around. God sure gets an earful from me, but it wasn’t always like that.
It took me a while to allow two emotions to exist at the same time and lots of practice.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I hope your weekend is going well.
Maree