This past week during our UNITE bible study, I was in a group with two women who I know very well. We had listened to a teaching on Romans 6 and were now reflecting on it together. In our time of taking through it both women broke down in tears. They were in pain, they were broken, they were ashamed.
I realized in that moment that it was such a privilege to be there to receive their grief and catch their tears. It is an honor to be friends with these woman and when they open up their hearts and lives to me I know it is not done easily. The women in my community have experienced so much grief and pain and so many people have rejected them or used their tears to manipulate and rule them. When they break down in my presence it is because they trust me and I don’t take that lightly.
In order to rebuild our lives, in order to create space for the new and to grow into all God is calling us to be, often we need to let go and dig out all that is causing pain and decay. This often comes in tears.
So often we hold in the tears and we try to bury the grief and brokenness when truly, it needs to come out in order to find healing. One of our goals of our UNITE Bible Study is to create a place for women that is SAFE to open up and allow God to heal the hurt places. We want a place that is safe to laugh, cry, shout, grieve or whatever needs to happen. When I have a moment with someone and they are allowing pain to leave and God to enter in I know something special is happening. Safety and trust are a gift. They cannot be manipulated and when they are present they must be protected. I am thankful to Jesus for these things in our community of women as we pursue God.
May we all be people who always make space for this healing work in others’ lives, and may we always see the privilege of tears.