Dear Sad One,

First I want to say I am sorry for your loss. I too lost my father several years back. I say lost because that is what it feels like; I feel lost without him. But like you said, we know in our heart our loved one is in heaven with our Lord Jesus and we shall see them again. My dad and your mom have just changed addresses! Yes they are in a better place. Every Christian should want to be in that place and one day will be. We know from the Bible that Jesus will return for His own, and it could be at anytime. Then we will be with our Lord and our loved ones. What a glorious day that will be.

Does it get easier to be without them? Yes, in time. As time goes by, and with the Holy Spirit’s help, the Lord will fill that void in your heart if you allow Him to. Crying is good. Our Creator made our bodies and He made tear ducts for several reasons. One is to keep our eyes moist and I am sure there are other medical reasons, but I look at the spiritual one. Tears are the release valve for the buildup of pressure within us. I too feel better after a good cry.

The Holy Spirit revealed it to me like this—we are like a pressure cooker. Different things happen in life which we must go through. These situations, attached with many different emotions, build up inside of us and sometimes we feel like we are going to explode. They must be released and when this happens, many people burst forth in tears, bringing about that release. Every part of our body feels better when the pressure is released. So let the tears flow! We need to teach our children, both boys and girls, that it’s okay to cry. What a mighty Creator we have to think about giving us that release valve!

King David had a number of crises in his life. In Psalm 6:6, he said, “… I drench my couch with my tears.” The prophet Jeremiah said in Lamentations 2:11, “My eyes fail with tears, my heart is troubled…” because of the crisis with God’s people. The Apostle Paul says, “Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears” (Acts 20:31). Paul, knowing his time was short on this earth, was in such turmoil about what would take place after his death that tears flowed. All through the scriptures we see how tears have released the pressure from within people.

In heaven we will not need tears: “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4). Until then let the release valve flow!