Crying Out for Help
People are generally encouraged, and expected, to be strong. Driven to succeed by cultural pressure (and even family pressure) the means to become a success is understood to become strong. And being strong sometimes leaves little room for needing help.
According to stats from the Atlanta Journal Constitution, women cry approximately 5.3 per month, which is over 4x more often than men, who cry an average of 1.4 times per month. I don’t remember ever seeing my dad cry. Even after my grandfather passed away (his father, whom he had been close to) there were no tears shed. Often crying, seen as a form of weakness, is subtly or not so subtly discouraged.
Sometimes we cry over trivial matters, like watching a sad movie. Sometimes we cry tears of joy (the statistics in the Atlanta Journal don’t specify the source of the tears).
But in many cases, these tears will be brought on by all-too-real life circumstances, trying to be strong, and holding in our anxieties until a person finally cries out for help.
Sometimes it’s difficult to talk with our friends and family about the issues that are nagging at us. I know that I find it difficult. I feel like I don’t want to burden others with my problems. Even moreso, I am concerned about how they might react. And I don’t like feeling weak, given that we are culturally expected to be strong.
That’s why it can sometimes help to talk things over with a patient, caring third party. If you are going through difficult times right now, and need someone to talk to, you can try contacting an online mentor. This is a confidential service; it begins a private email conversation between you and a volunteer mentor who is familiar with your concerns. You’re free to continue the conversation or stop at any time. If you’ve been crying out for help, or feel like you’ve been getting there, please consider contacting a mentor today.
I just returned from a trip to Ireland in an attempt to begin a new life and career, after being unemployed for almost six months in my home country. I had to take my return ticket home because this country did not fulfill my expectations of a new job and fresh start for a new life, I also experienced plenty of unexpected opposition and misunderstanding from other family members as to my motivation and success in this new land. The Lord revealed to me that there are many complex and rooted issues of strife that is attached to both my Mother’s and Father’s family in Ireland. I am by nature a quiet and reserved person and during my month long stay at various relatives homes during the month, there has been plenty of gossip and backtalk about my character and suspicion as to my motives for visiting this country. By God’s grace and the prayers of my immediate family I feel the Lord has protected me from the daggers the enemy was throwing my way through these family members in Ireland. This experience has brought to light many struggles over the past few years I have had with being misunderstood by people due to my reserved nature and the way I feel I have withdrawn into myself over this time as a result of experiencing some painful situations that only God, my sister and spouse know about. I request prayer for guidance and wisdom in how to allow myself to heal and experiencing healing, as well as to not submit to the fear of man to harm me in any form.