THE UPSIDE-DOWN KINGDOM: A 7 - Day Disovery of How God's Patterns for Living Turn Our Lives the Right Way Up by Youth Alive Ausනියැදිය

BLESSED WHEN I'M SAD

Have you ever lost someone or something so dear to you that you can barely breathe? Many years ago, I started my teaching career by sharing a class with another teacher. A few months in, her son died from a genetic disease. He was only 14 years old. I remember going to the funeral and watching my dear friend, his mother, grieve her only son. The sadness that gripped my heart was so palpable I could barely hold it together.

When we experience loss, it can feel like a gut punch that leaves us raw and disoriented. So why, in Matthew 5:4 (MSG), does Jesus say, ‘You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.’ That would have to be one of the most upside-down verses in Scripture. How can we be blessed when we are grieving?

But Jesus makes promises that, when understood, offer comfort that the world cannot give. The word ‘blessed’ in this verse does not mean happy or fortunate. God being in our lives doesn’t mean we won’t go through hard times. It doesn’t mean Jesus will end or fix our grief. It doesn’t mean He will magically turn our sadness into feelings of happiness. Instead, His words remind us that in life, it is ok to grieve and we do not do so alone. God made us with the capacity to cry. Even Jesus cried. And tears can be part of our healing. Psalm 34:18 tells us God is close to the brokenhearted. That’s what the word blessed means. That when our hearts are broken, we can experience a divine comfort we only experience in times of great loss.

PRAYER

Dear Jesus,

Help me to find hope in your Word and to trust that you are near to me right now. I ask for your divine comfort to carry me through my pain. Wrap Your arms around me and ease the ache of my sadness. Grant me the strength to face each day, knowing You hold all things in Your hands.

Amen