Are you in mourning?

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted."
--Matthew 5:4

Tonight in Small Group I lead a discussion on mourning from the beatitudes in Matthew. As a group, we are going through and discussing the beatitudes and this week we focused on verse four.

We talked about what it meant to be in mourning and if it was internal or external. Our conclusion brought us to the fact that it is both. A lot of people do the majority of their mourning on the inside as to not let their hearts be exposed to be hurt. I myself fall into this category.

While others show exactly how they feel outwardly making their cries public wanting some sort of consolation. However, the mourning in this passage is speaking of mourning over sin itself. Be it sin done to God or someone else. It is the act of being repentant of that sin.

I think this mourning can best be defined as in 2 Corinthians 7:10 which states, "Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death." So our mourning should lead to a repentant heart for salvation's sake and we should not feel regret thereafter because Jesus died for our sins and His death is good enough!

After we mourn we can now be lavished with the beauty that is God's comfort. It is His gift to us saying that He is still with us no matter what. He is and always will the God of all comfort, and He's here to wrap us in His loving arms and provide to us that needed comfort.


Side note: Ben, The Essence of Emeril is a Cajun seasoning that is absolutely fantastic! Made by Emeril Lagasse, it provides a great balance of flavor without sacrificing the natural flavors in simple dishes. Here is a picture of it for you.