October 2, 2026
Have you ever had one of those weeks where you just need a good cry? I feel like I have needed a good cry for a while.
Sometimes I tend to hold on to my hurt feelings, concerns, and sadness, and there comes a time when I just need to release them. I traveled to Macon by myself for a work trip this week. I cried on the way up there. Just all by myself, I was crying and talking to God, giving Him my hurts. And then I cried again on the way home.
I was thinking about how tears can cleanse your heart and mind in the same way a cleansing rain is good for the environment. I cannot tell you how many times I have come home from work, and my granddaughters have totally decorated our driveway and sidewalk with chalk. They will write and draw all kinds of things. Those drawings will stay put until we have a good cleansing rain, and then they are all washed away.
In the same way, when you have a good cry you can wash away all those hurtful words that you might have been holding onto. You can cleanse your heart and mind from all the negative looks that might have come your way that make you feel unimportant or in the way. A good cry gives you the opportunity to cleanse your heart hurts and cleanse your mind.
I think about pollen season here in Georgia. It can look as though there is a yellow film on everything. A good, hard rain will wash every bit of that pollen away. It's cleansing. For us, a good cry is cleansing to wash our emotional film in our mind away. Tears can cleanse if we allow them to wash away the film of negative thoughts and worries that might be hanging over us.
We can release all those emotions with our tears. God created the rain just the same as he gave us tears. A good rain and a good cry can both represent cleansing, renewal, and a fresh start. The Bible tells us our tears are not wasted. All our sorrows and hurts are seen by God. He cares so deeply. I love the way the New Living Translation of Psalms 56:8 puts it: "You (God) keep track of all my sorrows, and you have collected all my tears in your bottle." The rain cleanses the land, and our tears cleanse our hearts and minds. God created them both.
A good cry is therapeutic, and God knows every tear that is shed and the reason behind it. When my words can't effectively express my pain or sorrow, it's still a language God always understands. Weeping may endure for a moment, but with God, joy always follows. As believers, our tears are never without hope.
God wants us to release those tears. Each one represents a hurt, a concern, or a worry that is important to Him because he loves us so much. He will gently gather each tear and hold them for us until our joy is restored. My advice to you is to take the time to let the tears fall - even if it's when you are alone in your car.
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Jill Johnson finds spiritual applications in her everyday experiences as a wife, mother, grandmother, and Georgian. Jill is retired from the Georgia Baptist Mission Board and is available to speak to your church's women's gatherings. Reach her at jjohnson@gabaptist.org.
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