Have you ever cried in Barnes & Noble?

"Breaking point" (n) the moment of greatest strain at which someone or something gives way

There I sat... Somewhere in the autobiography aisle with books laying parallel on each side of me... Surrounded by stories from people who had written about their struggles, triumphs, and tribulations. I sat there feeling overwhelmed and overtaken by everything going on.. so I just cried.. Right there in front of Steve Jobs, Nelson Mandela, Bob Dylan, and George Bush.

It seems silly, sure.

Looking back now, I can laugh on the experience, but two years ago I remember crying in Barnes & Noble.

On a normal day after work, I walked in the familiar bookstore to find something new to pick up. I was living in a new city right after my dad had passed away in the previous months from brain cancer. I was surrounded by new people, a new place, and new circumstances in my life.

I walked into Barnes & Noble because I wanted a new book. I had a mediocre day and with a freshly cashed paycheck, I walked through the aisles to find something to take home. The bottom shelf always has the best finds, so I sat on the floor to start reading back covers and skim over words. My left hand picked up a book about Heaven and my right hand began wiping tears.

It just hit me. Just like that.. I had reached a breaking point.

We all have breaking points. We all have places where we feel the stress is too heavy and the load is too much. Maybe it isn't in Barnes & Noble, but we all can reach a place where we feel like dropping to our knees.

Sometimes we cannot control the stressors in our life. Sometimes we cannot control our circumstances. Sometimes we cannot control the things that lead up to our breaking points.. but we can control what happens during and after we hit them.

When we hit our breaking points in life, whether they are small or large, we should recognize what we are feeling. Some have a tendency to think that strength is pushing things under the bed.. but it is a lot healthier to acknowledge that you are overwhelmed. It is also important to cut yourself some slack. So what if you do not finish your to-do list for the day because you needed a moment? Try it again tomorrow.

Help yourself get back up afterward. Let yourself have a moment, but do not let yourself give up. Remember how far that you have come in the past and use that as motivation to keep going forward. Talk to others if needed, maybe lighten your load a little, or find more moments in the week for yourself.

So what did I do in the autobiography aisle? I let myself cry. I let myself feel. I let myself hurt. I let myself grieve. I let myself hit my breaking point.

Then I got up. I picked myself off the floor, I found a book that I liked, I checked out, and I went home to face the evening.

2 Chronicles 15:7 "But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.”