Crying's for Girls!!!!!

Crying is for babies.  Crying is for people who are weak.  You don't want to let anyone see you cry because people don't like to be burdened with other people's problems.  Buck up.  Be strong.  These and other anomalies have been reiterated to children time and time again.  When I was a kid, one of my favorite things was the record, Free to Be...You and Me.  I remember one song in particular.  It was sung by Rosey Grier, who, along with being an ordained Christian minister, just happened to be a very talented football player.  The guy was huge, outside as well as the heart he carried for children.  The song was called, It's Alright to Cry, basically portraying that message.  It's alright to cry.  It's alright to let go and just let God.  How did we as a society stray so far from this concept in less than thirty years?  How did we convince ourselves, and then our children, that we must allow emotions to stay and fester inside of us causing so much damage, rather than spend an hour or so having a really good cry, thereby take a huge step in the healing process?  I'm not ashamed to admit this: I cry at least once per week.  Not because I'm depressed, or a cry baby, or a sad sack, or any other name that you might want to throw at me.  I cry because, plain and simple, my field of ministry is emotionally taxing.  And let's be honest, living in a foreign country can be emotionally taxing, too.  So my way of coping with the stress is to cry.  I don't need to be comforted.  I don't need to be told everything is going to be alright.  I am already comforted by the act of crying, and I know that everything will be alright because I have given it to God.  Don't ever be afraid to cry.  God counts and collects each and every one of our tears and gladly takes our burdens as our own, so that we may show His love, mercy and grace to those who need it.