Ok.. I admit it I am mad... and you should never post mad... but here goes anyway... (clarification: I am not mad at the "Smile" person, I am mad that we deal with grief and pain so poorly)Listen up world! Stop telling me how to feel!!! I don't need your opinion on how I should feel at a given time... I do not need your exhortation to smile... I did not ask for either.
Frankly I do not care if my being less that happy somehow drains an ounce of sunshine from your happy smiley day.
I have already stated that I have issues so please take a second to review them before exhorting me to feel better for your sake.
Seriously that is why I wrote I have issues I am tired of people thinking they have the right to impose their feeling preferences onto me.
The other day I was walking down the hallway where I work. I was really stressed because a video was not working right, I still didnt have a presentation done, and I didnt feel particularly worthy do stand in front of 300 students and tell them to love Jesus just like I do. I was worn out from a long day that was part of a long week that was part of a long month that is part of what is shaping up to be a long year.
Overdramatic? Probably so, but it is my life... and to me it was real...
So I am walking down the hall and someone looks over at me and says, "smile, life is good!"
I wonder if this statement made him feel better?
How does he know anything about my life? Its like, my being sad was somehow making his day less convienient or something?
Whatever... I think that really if he cared, he could have asked what was going on... or if I was ok... instead of commanding me to be happy... For all he knew my mom could have just died...
My POINT: if you are sad... be sad. Who cares what other people think... Sometimes people may have the authority and right to tell you how to behave... but they never have have the right to tell you how to feel.
Embrace your emotions... I think they are from God and make us who we are. Its not like he is offended with me if I am sad... in John 11 it even says that Jesus wept. If he can cry... even though he knows he can raise Lazarus from the dead... then I certainly can since I have no such power in my life.
And my friend (you know who you are) who is sad for her loss of a loved one..I am sad with you today.
I am sorry people, including me, are so stupid... especially around grief.
I am sorry for when I have also been guilty of commanding people to feel better instead of listening to their pain...
I am sorry for when I have been impatient with the suffering of others just because it didnt go away as quickly as I would have liked...
