Blessed are those who Mourn?

Jesus was always teaching about the Kingdom of God (a realm where God is King) and demonstrating the Kingdom of God. What a strange thing to begin His public ministry saying that the Blessed are the poor in spirit and those who mourn. The Kingdom of God is not like this world and operates not based on self-sufficiency but humility. After 5 years of solid ministry I realize that I am tired, fatigued, and in need of some renewal. I am getting back to the basic foundation of encountering Jesus and being filled by Him. I realize that there has been a "great sadness" lurking beneath the surface in my heart that tends to spill out in areas of my life. I tend to do what most Christians do, stuff it and suppress it because I am supposed to be joyful as a follower of Christ. Yet Jesus seems to tie experiencing great mourning with being blessed and comforted. We all have things in our life to mourn: broken dreams, disappointments in relationships, loneliness in childhood, lack of experiencing love, financial loss, lost relationships, death of someone close, etc.. I could go on with quite a list because we live in a world that is deeply infected by sin and the death that it brings. It is amazing that Jesus doesn't call to the learned who have been studying the Scriptures to know about the Messiah or those who have diligently been working to keep the Law, He calls to those who are low, hurting, desperate, and in need of hope. We don't encounter Jesus with our intellect but out of the deep needs of our heart. So I am entering into this deep sadness to mourn, fully believing this is the very place that I will encounter Jesus. In Nehemiah we are told that the "...joy of the Lord is your strength" to a people who were mourning and weeping. I am so glad that the Lord does not expect us to supply our joy for the Christian life but invites us to exchange our pain, loss, sadness for His joy. I do expect blessing out of this journey into mourning and sadness. If you are human like me, you probably have your degree of sadness and loss. Jesus doesn't want us to handle with our own strength, trying to cover up this sadness with a surface happiness, He wants to take us on the journey to reach the other side entering into His joy. He is here to comfort and encourage you (and me).

In His Comfort,
Bret