Chapter-a-Day Lamentations 2
Give out heart-cries to the Master, dear repentant Zion.
Let the tears roll like a river, day and night,
and keep at it—no time-outs. Keep those tears flowing!
When my daughters were younger they would occasionally have a melt-down. They were tired, cranky and things hadn't gone their way. So the tantrum would begin complete with tears and wailing - and the occasional falling on the floor. I'm not the perfect parent by any stretch of the imagination - but I remember that these occasional fits of emotion never really bothered me. I understood that my girls were upset and tired and probably needed to let it out. In fact, rather than chastise my daughters for these tantrums I usually encouraged them to cut loose.
I'm the dad, I see the big-picture. The reason for the tantrum was silly and temporal. If my little girl needed to wear herself out crying then go ahead. She would wear down and probably have a really good nap and wake up feeling much better - the episode forgotten. Emotions are a good thing. God gave us feelings for a reason.
God is a good dad. He sees the big-picture of our lives and isn't surprised by all the emotion we feel at the moment. In fact, He encourages us to let it out - cry our eyes out - scream 'til we're out of breath. He isn't surprised by our emotion. He isn't offended by our anger. He can handle the full force of our emotions.
Here, have a Kleenex.
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