Blessed are those who mourn

By Zach Chronley

‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” — Jesus 

This season, everyone is experiencing some form of grief or loss. It could be the loss of a loved one, the loss of a job, or even the loss of normalcy. It doesn’t matter how big or how small, grief simply is the experience of loss. While the current situation may have intensified everything, grief is not new to the human experience. The problem is, grief is painful, and most people either don’t want to recognize that they are grieving, or they don’t know how to handle it. Along the Kübler-Ross model of the five stages of grief (denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance) most end up going in circles in the cul-de-sacs between and never truly make it to acceptance. 

Instead of taking the time to process our pain we focus on other things to numb ourselves or try to forget. Our culture caters to endlessly binging television or listening to an infinitely growing number of podcasts. Our habits reveal that we would rather distract ourselves than process our pain. This is sadly true for a majority of Christians. Jesus said blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted (Matthew 5:4). So if Jesus promised comfort, why do so many find it seemingly out of reach? Because while all humans grieve, not all mourn. The main reason the people of God don’t experience the fullness of comfort in Jesus is that they are not actually mourning. 

Mourning is doing the hard work of processing and walking through the pain. Allowing ourselves to feel the depths of our grief will allow us to have access to the heights of heavenly comfort. This doesn’t happen automatically or passively. If you want to experience the comfort of Jesus, you need to mourn. You need to give yourself permission to feel and process the pain of the grief and loss you are experiencing. Many Christians tend to act as though pain and grief are merely a season to get through, but the truth is that your grief is a place where Jesus wants to meet you. Jesus wants to meet with you in the middle of your mourning. The Holy Spirit inside you bears the name Comforter for this reason. 

Mourning is the pathway through our pain and grief with Jesus at our side. We struggle to mourn because in our hearts, we all want the blessing without the suffering. We would rather try to make ourselves comfortable instead of allowing ourselves to be comforted. Jesus knew that you cannot have one without the other, and therefore he says, “blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”  Scripture tells us that Jesus himself embraced the pain of the cross because of “the joy that was set before him” (Hebrews 12:2). In this same verse, we are told to: “look to Jesus as the founder and perfecter of our faith,” so let us look to Jesus as the perfect example we need to follow. 

We know that Jesus was the happiest man who ever lived. He was perfectly in communion with the Father, and yet Scripture also refers to Jesus as “a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3-5). When Jesus was confronted with pain and suffering after the death of his dear friend Lazarus, he wept. Even though he knew he was going to raise Lazarus from the dead, he still mourned. The way of Jesus is through pain, not around it. There are no shortcuts in the process, but we can be certain Jesus is with us. Ours is the God of all comfort, who comforts us in our affliction (2 Corinthians 2:3-4). Run to him, and let him carry you as you mourn. Biblical mourning is processing out pain and loss with Jesus. It is there we find comfort. 

So, what does this look like practically? First, let go of your distractions and run to Jesus. Get alone, take a walk if you need to, take out your headphones, do whatever it takes and ask Jesus to meet you right where you are. Be honest about what you are feeling. Jesus wants to meet with you today to comfort you. Additionally, you many want to invite other christians you trust into your mourning who will help walk with you, pray for you, and support you. Lastly, know that the promise of being comforted does not come with a timetable; but with a person, Jesus! Grieving may take time. You may have a lot to process through, but you have the ever-present help of the heavily family who will be there with you every step of the way. Don’t settle for trying to stay comfortable when you can be comforted perfectly.