“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” (Matt. 5:4)
Jesus does not gloss over the pain of life in this world. As I sit and write this exhortation, I feel the weight of sadness on my shoulders. As I have gone about my day with that kind of hazy moroseness that accompanies grief. Luckily, as Christians, we don’t need to be happy all the time to prove our faith. According to the Psalms, the life of faith is well acquainted with all manner of emotions: joy, peace, anger, frustration, love, hope, doubt, and fear.
But in the midst of sorrow, we can hold fast to the promise of God’s comfort: a promise that even in the dark days we are blessed. As Christ-followers, we are those who receive divine favor. Being blessed means that we have not been forgotten, but that God the Father loves us and is with us. It is easy to think that the happy person, the rich person, or the successful person is the one that is blessed. But that is a worldly way of thinking. God says that even those who are down and out, overlooked, struggling, and sad are the ones that receive his attention and favor. Their current struggles do not keep them from the certain hope of knowing and being known by God.
Whatever you are feeling today, don’t try to rush through it and get to “happy”. Sit in your emotions and invite in the Holy Spirit. Let him remind you that you are blessed; you are the recipient of divine favor. You are not forgotten. And whatever you are going through is not the end of the story.
We have an eternal hope; Jesus wins.
“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.’” (Rev. 21:3-4)