Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

The Greek word for mourning (pentheo) is vivid and clear - it invites you to access the yuck on the inside and bring it into the light, to speak it, even yell it.
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“I hate this. I’m scared. I’m so angry. I miss my friends. I’ve lost so much. I feel powerless. I need to be held.”

Comfort is experienced when we let it out. Keeping it in only creates more discomfort. Keeping it in leads to shallow optimism or cynical pessimism.
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This is the ancient art of lament. We cry out because God can handle it. And because we can’t.

Our cry isn’t disregarded. And no cry is too much for God.
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Lament is a declaration of hope, of trust, of belief in the power of relationship, a relationship that can hold the good, the bad and the ugly. God-sized relationship.

So mourn.

It’s courageous. It’s necessary.
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And on the other side you may just be asked to hold space for someone else’s tears.

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