By Rae Lynn DeAngelis
“Keep me safe, LORD, from the hands of the wicked; protect me from the violent, who devise ways to trip my feet.” (Psalm 140:4)
With a good portion of my childhood spent running around in bare feet, the skin on the bottom of my souls eventually grew thick and calloused, desensitizing me to pain when stepping on sharp objects. Amazingly, I could run across a gravel driveway and not feel discomfort.
God designed our bodies with the marvelous ability to adapt to our environment. Not only does God give us the ability to adapt physically, He also gives us the ability to adapt emotionally.
As a child I was very sensitive. A sad song was enough to get my tears flowing. But like the bottoms of my feet, difficult life experiences caused me to develop a tough exterior. Emotional barriers that I had built up over time kept me from feeling too much pain. For years I couldn’t cry—I just felt numb.
As I grew closer to God, He began breaking down my emotional barriers until I realized I no longer needed them. Over time the tears began to flow again. A quarter century’s worth of tears had been bottled up inside, waiting to come out. With my emotional barriers removed I was able to feel and experience normal pain again.
Pain is good. It keeps us from making the same mistakes over and over, and it keeps us out of harm’s way. Just as God designed our bodies with the ability to toughen up, He also designed our bodies to be sensitive and feel.
“‘Because the poor are plundered and the needy groan, I will now arise,’ says the LORD. ‘I will protect them from those who malign them.’” (Psalm 12:5)
It’s okay to feel pain and cry. God gave us this wonderful form of release as a means to remove toxins from our bodies. But take heart, a day is coming when there will be no more need for earthly tears.
“‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.’ He who was seated on the throne said, ‘I am making everything new!’” (Revelation 21:4-5)
Until then let the tears flow.
If God sends us on stony paths, He provides strong shoes. ~Corrie Ten Boom
