The Weak Think They Are Strong

Christ Who lives in us, is able to bring us through all things. Tears are a release from stress, we are designed to cry to reduce tension, but we do not stay there, wallowing in our tears. When we are relieved after the weeping, we move forward in obedience to Christ. What a blessing to do things God's way, even through our tears we are moving on to grow in holiness.

Those who are embarrassed about tears, even mocking someone who cries, think that tears are a sign of weakness, they are not. Weakness is when we sense a need to release stress in our bodies, while resisting God's natural means of stress relief. The weakest people I know, think they are strong, they continually hide from their own reality, defending their false persona, hiding from what they know to be true in the desperate need to be seen by others as strong, this in itself is weakness.

When we are deeply concerned how we appear to others we are weak. Strong people can be what they are unconcerned what others think about their choices. When we can walk with Christ, make choices based on His direction without the need for affirmation from others, then we are strong.

Those who refuse to cry are not showing strength but weakness, their pride will not allow them to reveal that anything has an effect on them.

Inner spiritual strength is when someone can call things what they are truthfully, while allowing their tears to do their job of stress relief.

Not all crying shows innocence however, sometimes people cry because they have been caught in sin and hate the consequences. Tears do not always tell us what is really going on, we must interpret them in terms of the context of a person's life.

Tears are a stress reliever, even for the sinful rebellious heart. I have seen people who have committed crimes act very confident and arrogant in court but as soon as the sentence comes down from the judge, they break down in tears, for two reasons. The first is that they realize they have no control over their fate anymore and secondly because they don't like the outcome. Their tears are not an indication of repentance, only of the loss of control they feel.

There are those who cry to manipulate, they sense a loss of power over others, so they work up their emotions to invoke sympathy from those they wish to control. I have seen this in my life a number of times. It takes discernment to be able to see a person's intent along with knowledge of events in context.

Next time someone mocks you for your tears, walk away, avoid that person and continue following Christ. Arrogant people have no empathy or compassion for others, they have a deep sense of superiority in their own minds that motivates them to demean anyone they perceive to be "weak."

It is interesting that those who are spiritually weak, often accuse others of being so when it is not true. It's called projections, the narcissist accuses others of the very thing that the narcissist is and the others are not.

Those who love Christ have compassion and empathy, while remaining discerning about manipulators. The compassion and empathy is reserved for those who are being genuine, not for deceivers.

Mockers and deceivers are angry people, they look continually only to demean and degrade who are genuine.

2 Peter 3:3
"Knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires."

Ephesians 4:29-30
"Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption."

Psalm 1:1-3
"Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers."

James 1:20
"For the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God."

1 John 5:20
"And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life."

1 Thessalonians 5:21-22 "
21 But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; 22 abstain from every form of evil."