Big Girls Do Cry

<p>I grew up thinking I needed to hold it together. My teenage problems seemed minuscule next to extreme poverty and world hunger. But I did have problems. And they felt big to me.</p><p>.</p><p>In John 16:33, Jesus says, “In this world you will have trouble.” He doesn’t say if; He says will. You will have trouble. Jesus’s statement has stood the test of time. Our brothers and sisters in Christ have experienced pain and sorrow, including Martha and Mary.</p><p>.</p><p>Their brother, Lazarus, became very sick. The sisters sent word of his illness to Jesus. Jesus came but not right away. He arrived after Lazarus had died. Martha ran to Jesus at once, but not Mary. She stayed back, hidden and hurting, with the other Jews who had come to comfort the family.</p><p>.</p><p>Martha approached Jesus with incredible trust and strength, declaring her confidence in His holy power. After Jesus spoke with Martha, He called for Mary, and she also came. She came, and she cried. She didn’t understand why Jesus hadn’t come and saved her brother, why He let the last breath escape from Lazarus’s lungs.</p><p>.</p><p>Jesus knew the story wasn’t over, that Lazarus would breathe and walk and talk again, but He didn’t pass over Mary’s grief. Instead, He wept with her.</p><p>.</p><p>It’s okay to feel sad and share our pain with others. It’s what Jesus did. Both Martha and Mary had incredible trust in Jesus and His ways, but that didn’t stop them from feeling grief. At first, Mary stayed back, not bringing her full self to Jesus. But He called, and she came.</p><p>.</p><p>Jesus also calls to us. He is ready to come alongside us and weep amid any situation we find ourselves in. Jesus knows what happens on the other side of our grief—because He died and rose again, He will put an end to death, suffering, and everything else that causes pain and sorrow. But that doesn’t mean He expects us to pass over our current feelings. • Jenna Brooke Carlson</p><p>.</p><p>• What feelings are you experiencing today? Do you feel like you can bring these to