What Have You Lost?

Matthew 5:4 Amplified Bible  (AMP)

4 Blessed and enviably happy [with a happiness produced by the experience of God’s favor and especially conditioned by the revelation of His matchless grace] are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted!

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This is definitely an upside-down principle.

 

Why would Jesus say that those who mourn are blessed? And not just “blessed” as in “have a blessed day” but “enviably happy!”

 

I can think of a couple of possible meanings.

 

I believe this verse can be applied to our salvation experience. When we mourn our sin condition and the price Jesus paid on the cross to redeem us, it results in a VERY blessed life . . . as in eternal, abundant life!

That makes sense to me.

 

The other thing that comes to my mind is a different way of looking at this verse. And it may not make sense to anyone but me. But keep reading because it might make sense to both of us.

 

The other principle I think you could extract from this verse is that you actually have to ‘let go’ before you can be comforted and enjoy the ‘blessed’ life this verse is talking about.

 

What I mean is that you have to give up. You have to accept the fact that you’ve lost something.

 

It may be a relationship. A job. A pet. A friend or family member. Your reputation. Your money. Your car. Your house. Control over a habit or substance or situation. Someone’s trust. Your business. Your health. Your youth. Your freedom. Your ability to take care of yourself. Your dreams for the future.

 

Whatever it is you’ve lost . . . life as you once knew it is gone. And it won’t be back.

 

And as bad as that may seem at the moment, one thing that’s worse is not admitting it. Not accepting it. Continuing to work to try to get it back. Or worse, pretending it’s not gone.

 

I’ve done that before. Many years ago, I prolonged the agony of a dying relationship because I couldn’t face my own failure. Denying the loss was no fun for me or anyone around me. And the longer I took to accept it and mourn it, the longer it took to experience God’s comfort and the blessings that followed.

 

The other side of the coin was modeled for me just last week. I had dinner with a couple that I’ve been friends with for decades. However, we haven’t lived close to each other for several years so I don’t see them often.

 

Eight years ago, a car accident shattered their world, changing their lives drastically. Life as they once knew it was gone and will never be back.

 

But they have embraced their “new normal” and are bright lights shining in this dark world. The wife told me a couple of times during our time together that she wouldn’t change a thing. That it has been worth it. That the closeness they have as a couple and as a family is worth all they’ve been through and will go through.

 

They have accepted what the accident took from them. They have mourned it. And they have allowed God to comfort them and bless them with His presence and provision in their new normal. And boy has He BLESSED them! Their joy is evident and contagious. They’re “enviably happy.” And He’s now using them to minister to others who are going through the same type of loss.

 

What have you lost that you need to mourn? What loss do you need to accept and admit so God can comfort you?

 

Whatever it is, do it–so you can enjoy the BLESSED life God has for you.