Encouragement for special needs moms- Jesus cried. You can too.

"Jesus wept." This sentence is famous for being the shortest Bible verse, but it's brevity doesn't lessen it's impact.

When Jesus saw Mary crying after the death of her brother, Lazarus, he cried too.

What's odd about this is that Jesus knew that just minutes later he would raise Lazarus from the dead and that Mary's sorrow would be turned into joy. But he cried anyway. No matter the ending, tears are an appropriate response to the hard moments in this life.

As Christians, we know the ending of the big story. We know that, after all that we endure in this life, a time will come when God will wipe away every tear and there will be no more death or mourning or pain. We know that our "momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison." Good things are coming. Hard things will someday stop being hard. But, even still, Jesus wept, and we can too.

Sometimes, we are tempted to believe that our sorrow in the present means we don't have faith for the future. Sometimes, we think holding back the tears is the godliest thing we can do. But this is not what we see in God's word. Here are a few places in scripture that grant you the freedom to let your tears flow.

+Jesus wept. (John 11:35)

+You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book? (Psalm 56:8)

+Weep with those who weep. (Romans 12:15)

+For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven... a time to weep, and a time to laugh (Ecclesiastes 3:1,4)

Being mom to a child with a diagnosis comes with hard moments. Many days, you might feel like crying, and it's ok to. Just know that as you cry, God hears and he's there, and a day is coming when your sorrow will be nevermore.

+The Lord is close to the brokenhearted (Psalm 34:18)

+In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears. (Psalm 18:6)

+Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy! (Psalm 126:5)

+The Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces (Isaiah 25:8)

+Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning. (Psalm 30:5)