Blessed Are Those Who Mourn

A young girl visited her grandmother. While they played games and watched their favorite movies together, the granddaughter also helped clean the house. As they worked side by side, they laughed and sang songs. Then, the grandmother went into the kitchen to prepare lunch. However, as the little girl continued to dust in the living room, her joy quickly turned to sorrow when she accidentally knocked over a special vase that had been in the family for several generations.

The vase fell to the hardwood floor with a loud thud and shattered into dozens of pieces all over the living room. Staring at the damage in disbelief, the little girl froze. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she knew how important that vase had been to her grandmother. She understood she had broken something very precious.
What stood out about this unfortunate incident was that instead of fleeing or ignoring what had happened, she began to cry.

When her grandmother heard the vase shatter in the kitchen, she quickly entered the living room. The girl anticipated anger or disappointment, but her grandmother knelt beside her, wrapped her arms around her, and said, "It's okay. I'm more concerned about you than the vase."

Notice that the comfort came after the tears. If the girl denied what had happened, responded with a negative attitude, or tried to hide the broken pieces, she would have missed her grandmother's loving embrace.

Perhaps you can relate to this young girl. You may have had a few accidents yourself, but what troubles you even more are the intentional choices you've made to pursue selfishness and sin that have caused damage in your life. The words of Jesus come to mind, in Matthew 5:4, He said, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted."

Typically, this verse is read at funerals or included in curricula for those dealing with grief. While God does comfort those in need, especially during a crisis like the loss of a loved one, this verse is not focused on bereavement. Instead, Jesus is addressing what that young girl experienced—godly sorrow over a mistake.

The young girl broke a vase, but maybe you have broken one of God's commands. Either way, Jesus promises that if you are genuinely sorrowful for your wrongdoing, He will comfort you with His grace and peace.

With this understanding, humble yourself after a failure by agreeing with God about your sin and asking for His forgiveness. From that point on, avoid living in a state of false guilt by revisiting your past. The Lord Himself has forgiven you, as He blesses those who mourn over their sinful mistakes with His unparalleled comfort.