Comfort for Those Who Mourn

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Who doesn’t mourn? Life has both ups and downs and few lives experience no down times. There is loss, the feeling of loss, tragedy and the feeling of tragedy. Sometimes there is simply the feeling that all is gone, that there is no hope.

Mourning is part of a healthy cycle of recovery or restoration, but it doesn’t feel healthy or temporary when it is upon us. Often, it feels like it has befallen us as a moisture-laden cloud descends on a hill in winter, ready to stay. The permanence that we feel when mourning can soon lead to depression if we don’t process it with the understanding that it too will pass.

Often we mourn over things that have little reality. The loss of a job can feel like we will lose everything. The reversal of fortunes can feel as though something we had has been pulled from our grasp. These carry the illusion that they are permanent conditions that will last, rather than simply the normal ups and downs of life. Of course, the truth is, we never really had these things in the first place. They are like chaff that blows away in the wind or like grass that burns and is gone.

Still, God’s word is consoling. Whatever you mourn for, you will be comforted. Jesus does not say, if you mourn for only certain things you will get comfort. He doesn’t qualify the object of your mourning as to whether or not it is valuable or legitimate. Christ simply says those who mourn will be comforted. In fact, they are blessed.