Most of us are so afraid of having an encounter with hardship, loss, or disappointment; that we are blinded to the benefits that can be derived from experiencing grief. When we experience big sorrow, it gives us an opening to learn to experience bigger and more joy! This is a spiritual paradox and brings hope to those who suffer! When we go through difficulty, we often tend to grit our teeth and try to hold ourselves together as we continue with the struggle. Many of us have been taught that this is a way of being strong spiritually. But when we squelch the emotions that need to be expressed to God, life begins to feel too hard. In this hard place, Jesus calls us to meet Him at the “trail of tears”, where He is lovingly waiting for us with open arms and heart. He is close, loving us unconditionally, listening and feeling our pain as we embrace and then release our emotions and tears to Him. Sometimes a visit to this trail will be short, but there will be other times it will take longer, and the visits will be more frequent. But we need not be afraid of this trail, because feeling…..releasing….. And crying is the way we let out the hardness in our hurting hearts and make room for the Lord’s replacement of Joy and singing!

“They who sow in tears shall reap in joy and singing” (Psalm 126:5).