“Blessed are those who mourn”

A meditation for the Wholeness Service, Georgetown TX

Psalm 42: 1-5 As a deer longs for flowing streams,

so my soul longs for you, O God.

2 My soul thirsts for God,

for the living God.

When shall I come and behold

the face of God?

3 My tears have been my food

day and night,

while people say to me continually,

“Where is your God?”

4 These things I remember,

as I pour out my soul:

how I went with the throng[a]

and led them in procession to the house of God,

with glad shouts and songs of thanksgiving,

a multitude keeping festival.

5 Why are you cast down, O my soul,

and why are you disquieted within me?

Hope in God, for I shall again praise him,

my help 6 and my God.

John 16:33 These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you [f]will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

He sat down and began to teach his disciples. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” And each of the things that come out of His mouth, not just here in the sermon on the mount, but throughout his ministry, tell how the kingdom of God is a reversal of all that we normally think. Those who mourn are Bless-ed? Happy? Holy? Fortunate? To be envied? How does that even compute in our normal way of thinking?

A favorite preacher of mine, Nadia Bolz-Weber describes Jesus’ words of blessing those who mourn like this: “Blessed are they for whom death is not an abstraction. Blessed are they who have buried their loved ones, for whom tears could fill an ocean. Blessed are they who have loved enough to know what loss feels like. Blessed are the mothers of the miscarried. Blessed are they who don’t have the luxury of taking things for granted anymore. Blessed are they who can’t fall apart because they have to keep it together for everyone else. Blessed are those who ‘still aren’t over it yet.’ Blessed are those who mourn. . . You are of heaven and Jesus blesses you!”

It doesn’t take long, living in this world to know that it is full of tribulation, testing, and trial. We often go through our days with a sort of lost feeling, wondering what it is that is missing.

It feels faintly like hunger, and we sometimes even feel it physically in the belly or chest. Or, it may feel more like fear, but we can’t really put a finger on what we are afraid of; and it often feels like helplessness, regret, failure, or sadness. It’s a deep longing for beloved-ness, safety, strength, comfort, and release. HOW could that be called blessed?

It takes great faith to believe and practice what Jesus says about our struggles. He says, “But be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world.” Sometimes, the grief gets so strong, all we can do is to lean on Jesus’ words, like we would lean on a sturdy staff, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” So, we lean hard, waiting and watching for, seeking the promised comfort and to realize some blessed-ness.

Several years ago, I had a beloved friend, Belinda at the hospital where we both worked. I was chaplain and supervisor of spiritual care, she was in charge of the hospital volunteers. We belly-ached & brooded together, we brainstormed solutions to problems, and, we prayed together every morning in the chapel.

She was Good in every way-- gracious, courageous, calm, practical… and aware that she was a created being, subject to all we encounter here on this earth. In a word, she was Christ-like.

Long story, short, she was diagnosed with a terrible disease which within just a few days, took her from active work at the hospital to a series of surgeries, paralysis, chemo, and finally, comfort-care. We visited often during that time as she went through letting go of life as she knew it; life as we knew it.

As she was nearing the end of her life here, I visited her again. She lay resting on her bed and when she heard my greeting, she barely moved but opened just one eye and smiled her sweet smile.

That motion seemed vaguely familiar but deeply comforting. I’d seen that look before, not from her, but from someone else dearly beloved. It took me several days to recall that that look reminded me of a look I had seen in a dream I’d had some months before. I had even told Belinda about the dream when we worked together.

In the dream, I am at the foot of the cross where Jesus is dying… His hands and feet nailed to the rough wood. Immobilized, he is powerless, helpless. I kneel in adoration, pained in my gut. It hurts so badly to see him suffering there. Crying, I lift my eyes to his which are closed. His head is tilted to one side, his breathing labored, but I know He is very aware that I am here. Without moving the tilt of his head, he opens just one eye slightly and smiles down on me a weak, sweet and almost playful smile. The look and smile silently speak of all the times we have shared. Then, He closes his eye again.

And then, (you know how crazy dreams can be…)

I notice he has something in his right hand. Bubble wrap!!?? Bubble wrap!!! Eyes closed, He starts snapping the bubble wrap! Pop. Pop. Pop. (I snap bubble wrap.)

I love to snap bubble wrap. It’s fun. It’s fulfilling. It makes me instantly happy.

In his playful, sweet smile and snapping bubble wrap AS HE SUFFERS, AS HE DIES, I hear his quiet, joyful unspoken message, “It’s okay. This hurts really badly, inside and out.

But it’s okay. Keep snapping, keep praying, keep longing, keep hoping and laughing out loud. Life doesn’t end here.” PAUSE.

The mystery of the cross reveals to us that whatever it means when we say “God blesses and comforts us,” it does not mean that God prevents betrayals or unfair or terrible things from happening. In fact, Jesus assures that we will experience them. And it won’t be comfortable. Rather, “God’s blessing and comfort” means that God is intimately hidden as a kind of profound, tender, comforting Sweetness that flows and carries us along through the terrible depths of the tragedy itself.

(Motion to body.) This bubble wrap…air inside the tiny bags we know as our bodies—snaps when it’s broken. We break. We know we all can and do lose our vigor, our spirit, not only physically, but sometimes, spiritually, too.

We lose our spirit to go on when we believe the thought that “This terrible thing has happened because God has turned his back on me.” Thoughts like that take us down a different path of desolation and mourning. PAUSE.

But. Our scripture says, “Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted.” “Theirs is the kingdom.”

God doesn’t usually transform through power, but through what we see as weakness, as mourning, as discomfort… through disease and betrayal, through crucifixion, through death; through mistakes, sin, through all we experience in our every day and especially our nights.

Those who receive comfort from God find that peace comes from hunkering down in God as you mourn and gaining strength there. It means hearing yourself cry out, “MY GOD, My God, why have you forsaken me?” as Jesus did. And knowing at the same time that as you say you are feeling utterly forsaken, you’re praying it TO a loving Someone who is hearing and present with you in it!

So, when you long for something that is not, when you mourn, God’s favor and mercy are on you! The kingdom of heaven is yours and it’s right here, in you and all around you. As she died, my friend Belinda witnessed to the fact that as believers, We. Are. Not lifted from the frailties of being human.

Gain respite and strength knowing you are not alone, that you are beloved, and called to participate not only in mourning, but in a new way of seeing and being. There is a Light that shines in the darkness if we can only seek to find it.

So. Lean hard. Cling to the old rugged cross. Pray and plead honestly. Seek fellowship and service. Call on another believer. Rest. Surrender. Take the next right step in feeble Hope. It won’t be comfortable, but underlying your sorrow and sadness will be Hope and Comfort to see you through.

all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.

Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.

Post thumbnail photo by Moritz Schumacher on Unsplash