“I MAY NOT FEEL LIKE PRAYING” —- A United Methodist Bishop on Shootings

I repost this for any who need permission to cry without consolation. Yes, we are people of faith, and sometimes it just becomes overwhelming.

Buffalo, Irvine, Uvalde…

Sit with me while I cry
By LaTrelle Miller Easterling

Sit with me while I cry…just sit with me
Don’t attempt to hug me too tight
Or tell me everything will be all right
Or usher me out of the room as if my tears are perverse

Sit with me while I cry…just sit with me
Don’t try to quiet my wailing
Or ask me what’s wrong
Or grab me and start praying – I may not feel like praying right now
I may be angry at God – I may want to curse God – if you can’t take it, God can

Sit with me while I cry…just sit with me
Don’t back away as if my trembling body is a disease
That can be spread like a virus
Don’t look nervously around the room as if ashamed by my naked emotion

Sit with me while I cry…just sit with me
And if you feel like it, cry too