What Do You Hold Most Dear?

“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.” (Matthew 5:4)
 
Each of us has had to mourn in our life. Whether it was over a loss of a job, dream, relationship, abuse, or even divorce we still know the pain and hurt of the situation that we had to grieve over. Many people when a friend is crying often, feel overwhelmed and tell them “Do not cry,” however, there is nothing wrong with crying over a loss and having to let go of something that they held dear to them. We tell people not to cry but, God made us with the capacity to cry and shed tears over the things that we hold dear to us. One major thing that we must grieve over is our own heart and wicked nature.

Mourning in this instance here relates to inner spiritual grieving of a broken and contrite heart. When we grieve over the sorrowful state of our own evil heart we then can be comforted by the mercy and saving grace from God. When we come to realize our own brokenness and can grieve it then we can allow God to work within us. We must be vulnerable and allow God into the dark parts of our souls and work within us.

​True repentance and confession include an element of grief. Although we can rejoice in the promise of God’s forgiveness, we must mourn that we have done evil acts that God is not proud of. Repentance is possible when we come to mourn over our own wicked behavior. We may struggle our entire lives with a particular wicked behavior, addiction, or language but when we want to truly overcome an addiction, we must hate it in our souls. We must mourn the harm that it caused ourselves and others. Those who grieve will be comforted. God comforts his children when they turn their hearts back to him.
 
Heavenly Father, may we recognize our own brokenness and learn to grieve the pain and hurt that you have felt when I turn away from you. Lord, may I turn my eyes to you and seek your comforting embrace.
                   
Praying for you,
Stacy Watkins