Wail Worthy

Somewhere along the way, someone told us that to be a good Christian means you have to rejoice and be glad despite what you may be going through.

It feels disrespectful to shout and scream at God when terrible things happen or don't go according to our plan.

So we shove it down and suffer in silence.

After all, we are supposed to trust God and praise Him in the storm.

I get that; I do.

And yet, even with my faith and trust in God when things get tough, I still think some situations deserve a good, loud wailing.

I went to a funeral one time where a grandson of the departed literally lept from his seat, ran to the coffin, and clung to it as he wailed in agony.

It was such a raw and authentic show of love that honored the profound loss he was feeling.

As uncomfortable as it was to watch, I admired how he could connect with his deep sadness and let it out, regardless of who else was watching.

His understandable response was contrary to how we have learned to respond and react in times of pain, loss, and uncertainty.

We are taught to be calm, cool, and collected and trust that God will handle it.

Usually, when we share our fear, sadness, or frustrations, we are met with:

Give it up to God.

It could be worse.

It must be God's will.

You are strong; you will get through this.

My friend, who was recently diagnosed with cancer, posted her situation on social media with a raw honesty that was profoundly painful and inspirational to read.

She shared that those kind of shallow sentiments, while coming from a good place, don't actually help and gave some suggestions on what could.

It was one of the most honest and raw wailings I have read, and I was so dang proud of her.

Here's the thing.

Sometimes, situations call for a good wailing.

Jesus wailed.

The Son of God, who knew how the story would end, wailed and cried out to God.

Jesus was in horrific agony and despair as he Hung on that cross - I cannot even fathom how every second was pure torture for him.

How appropriate it was for Him to wail and scream for God's mercy

God didn't say, "Listen Jesus, you knew this wasn't going to be easy. Stop your whining and trust me. And hey, while you're at it, can you praise Me and thank Me?"

I don't think so.

God wept.

I imagine Him whispering, "It's okay, my Son, I'm here. It will be over soon. I am with you. I am here."

My little mind can't quite grasp why it all happened the way it did, but God had a beautiful plan, and He knew that Jesus' pain and suffering would be over soon, and His resurrection would save the world.

If Jesus can wail, so can we, right?

So don't shove down the pain. Don't numb the hurt.

Let out a good wail.

Scream if you have to.

God can handle it.

We can wail, then rejoice, then wail some more, then be glad, then freak out, then hope, then doubt, then be thankful, then panic, then trust.

God can handle it all - especially the wailing.

Matthew 27:45-46

From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land.. About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" (which means "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?").

Psalm 57:1

Have mercy on me, my God, have mercy on me, for in you I take refuge.

I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed.

Philippians 4:4

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!