“When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled.  

“Where have you laid him?” he asked.

“Come and see, Lord,” they replied.

Jesus wept.” 

John 11:33-35

“Jesus wept.” John 11:35 is the shortest verse in the Bible but one of the most impactful for me.

Jesus. Our King. Our Savior. Our Father. Wept.

I used to feel a lot of shame around being empathetic, usually because empathy has led me to cry when I felt like I shouldn’t. Silly, right? Empathy is the capacity to feel another person’s feelings, thoughts, or attitudes vicariously. I have learned that being empathetic is a beautiful thing for God’s Kingdom. If the powerful Son of God wept, so can I. 

Having lived a human life, our Lord empathizes with us. He knows the heaviness of the broken world. He bore it all on the cross and is victorious over it. That victory is shared with us today. 

“He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” 1 Peter 2:24

I just want to tell you today that it’s okay to feel. It’s okay to see the brokenness of sin in the world and experience heartache. In a world that keeps trying to tell you to be “strong,” be weak, and let the power of your Heavenly Father be glorified through your weakness. Give your worries to Him. Surrender that struggle again; it has no power over you. Cry out to Him. He wants to hear from you today. 

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.” Hebrews 4:15 NIV

“That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong” 2 Corinthians 12:10

“Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.” Romans 12:15

“You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.” Psalm 56:8