I'll say it again: emotion is not weakness. I don't care if you are the manliest man in the world or a carefree females—it doesn't matter. Emotion is not weakness. It is strength. Take it from the girl who cries over her own feelings, whether they're tremendously happy or sad. Take it from the girl that cries as soon as she sees another person cry. Take it from the girl who cries only to end up strengthened in the end.
It takes humility.
On the opposite end of the internal spectrum, we know that pride puffs up. You think, "Oh I'm a guy, I'm not supposed to cry" or "Nah it will only make me seem and feel weak." My response to this is that feeling weak is okay because you're only human and you're living in a fallen world. Heaven isn't a place on earth, and, until you're in Heaven, there is nothing wrong with crying if you need to. This life can feel exhausting and hopeless, and it is okay to admit that.
So here's my theory as humans; we have a daily struggle with pride. Like people say, "We try to play God." In other words, we see ourselves in control of our lives as well as our emotions. From my perspective, however, we have very little control. I encourage you to drop the pride and let go when you need to. To the men out there, from the way women see it, your crying is not a thing to be looked down upon. We need more men who are in tune with their feelings as well as with the feelings of others.
It takes vulnerability.
Synonyms for vulnerability can range from defenselessness to openness, to exposure and so on and so forth. Vulnerability does not demonstrate weakness, but confidence. It is a person knowing their "ugly side," but having enough confidence to accept it and let it be known to others. It is the self-confidence that roots from reality of being human.
This reality is not perfection. We all have an "ugly side," and sometimes it needs to come out. The good news is that your loved ones are there to accept you regardless of whatever emotional disaster you face. By allowing yourself to be vulnerable, you not only display confidence but beauty. Why do I say this? Because you are showing the world who you really and truly are, you are beautiful down to your core because God designed this way.
It takes empathy.
You feel for others for multiple reasons. First, you feel empathy because you love them. Second, you feel empathy because we find common ground in simply being human. We know that we confront struggles and stress on a daily basis, and from our experience, we know it's not easy. Lastly, we empathize because we know we would hope to receive empathy from others in our personal problems.
Humble yourself, be vulnerable and stir up empathy in your heart because we can't expect to live this life on the basis of holding it all together. This is society's idea of strength. In light of the world we live in, emotion is strength.
