Joseph Revealed Himself ... With Tears 11am

Joseph wept. Joseph was a man of strength. Joseph was a man of wisdom. Joseph was a man with a lofty title, and life & death responsibilities. Joseph was a man whose faith had been tested by heartache and mistreatment. Joseph wept.

When was the last time you cried, sobbed, wept? I’m going to be vulnerable here … to the point some of you may feel uncomfortable next time you see me … I’m an emotional guy. I cry regularly. A well written scene in a movie, or TV show, can set me off. I hear a heart-wrenching song and tears flow. Even a sappy holiday commercial can turn the faucet on. I cry when I catch a glimpse of real life, real beauty, real sorrow. Sobbing, weeping, comes when those I care about are harmed, pierced, in pain, or have died. Tears do not always come, even when I expect them … but I’m an emotional guy. This is even more surprising because tears were not encouraged, or even tolerated, as I was growing up. Some of that, I’m certain, was the result of my father’s WW2 experience, and the loss of his mom at age 2, and his father at age 18. For him tears = weakness. I brought a measure of that to my own parenting … I wasn’t zero-tolerance, but I wish I had encouraged, rather than questioned, the tears of both of my kids, and my wife. I arrived late to tears and emotions. But I’m thankful I’m more comfortable now expressing both. How about you?

Our Lord wept. Jesus wept. How did I miss that? … or miss that He gave us permission to weep. He validates our emotions and tears.