-Matthew 5:4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Mourning is much more common than we think. Many years ago, I had been deployed for a little better than 7 months and returned home. I had not worn civilian clothes for that entire deployment and looked forward to a bit of variety in my wardrobe. It took a while, but one day I went to the box where we kept cleaning rags and pulled out one of my favorite T-Shirts. Yes, it had a few stains and had a few rips, but I loved that old shirt. Suddenly I felt intense grief. That shirt had been the reward for what had been the most painful ½ marathon I ever participated in and seeing that shirt reduced to menial service was nearly unbearable.
Too often, we attribute grief only to death, but there is so much more.
When we change jobs, we often grieve the loss of friendships or even just the predictability of life on the old job. We grieve the loss of an old address. In fact, I would suggest that everyone you see is inwardly grieving something. Jesus’s blessing here is for us all.
Remember that we were not designed for grief. The original design was supposed to have us living our lives in the Garden of Eden. No sorrow, no hunger, no pain, and no grief. However, since Genesis 3, we have been grieving. Grieving the loss of life in the beauty of the Garden. Grieving the loss of the close intimate (Walking in the cool of the day) relationship with God, and so much more.
We can be comforted by knowing that Jesus came to earth to restore that relationship. No longer do we need to mourn the loss. Not only in the cool of the day can we spend time with God, but in the heat of the day, and in the middle of the night as well. What a comfort!
God also builds relationships into our lives to also bring comfort. It is good to laugh and cry with others that love us and want the best for us. The beauty of listening ears that allow us to complain and tell silly stories brings much comfort. Relationships to go out on adventures with and to share dreams with as we plod on toward God’s call in our life, touches our hurts and pains.
I once heard a story about a gentleman who was raised in North Dakota. One day, a new kid was in class from the south. The boys convinced this southern boy that it is fun to stick your tongue to the flagpole on the coldest days of winter. This young boy believed them and when they helped him to get free, part of his tongue was still on the flagpole. The boy’s mouth was bloody, and the other boys laughed and hooted. A teacher asked the boy if he was hurt and he said, “No.”
My friends, it is ok to hurt. It is ok to cry. It is ok to grieve. Trust in God to bring you comfort and bring to mind stories of joy in the midst of the darkest moments of your life. Trust in God to touch your hurts and pains and then to use them for His glory. Trust in God for a loving touch, a blessing that you cannot see today.
