They say real men don’t cry. It sounds like a strong thing to say, right? From when boys are small, they are told things like, “Don’t cry like a girl,” or “Man up.” So slowly, the boy learns to hide his feelings, to swallow tears, and pretend to be fine even when he is not.
But honestly, this belief is not just wrong, it’s dangerous. And I must confess, I also fell for it. I told my son, Abba, many times that he was crying or acting like a girl when in pains. But now, I know better.
Crying doesn’t make a man less of a man. In fact, showing emotions is not weakness, it is part of being human. Even Jesus cried. The Bible says in John 11:35, “Jesus wept.” He cried because He felt pain and because He loved. If Jesus, the strongest man who ever lived, could cry, then who are we pretending for?
Many men today are hurting silently. They are told to be “tough,” so they bottle up everything, pain, stress, fear, and smile on the outside. But inside, they are breaking. This is how depression starts. This is how anger grows. And this is how some even end their lives.
David in the Bible, a great warrior and king, also cried. Read the Psalms and you will see. In Psalm 6:6, he said, “I am worn out from groaning. All night long I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears.” And yet, God called David a man after His own heart.
So yes, real men cry.
Real men feel pain.
Real men get tired.
Real men also break sometimes.
But the real strength is in being honest about it and still holding on to God.
The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 3:4, “There is a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance.” God made emotions for a reason. Crying has its season. And it can bring healing.
So to every man reading this: please, stop trying to be too strong for yourself. You are not made of stone. It’s okay to cry. It doesn’t make you weak. It doesn’t make you less of a man. It makes you real.
And to everyone else, let's stop teaching our boys that emotions are a shame. Teach them that strength is not silence. Strength is being true to yourself, and letting God carry what you can’t carry alone.
Let’s throw this wrong philosophy away.
Real men do cry. And God sees every tear. And most importantly, REAL MEN LOVE JESUS!
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Mbimda Ali Mbishida
© The Inspirer
18th July, 2025.
#powerthoughts
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