Blessed are the poor in
spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who
mourn, for they will be comforted. -Jesus in Matthew 5:3-4
These are a couple, among many, of the things that Jesus said which revolutionized my way of thinking. I used to think, like most people naturally do, that being happy is good and being sad is bad. But Jesus turns the world upside-down: according to Him, the first are last and the last are first. According to Jesus, we are blessed when we are sad and blessed when we mourn. After much study and meditation I have come to understand it, and what Jesus says makes perfect sense.
If a person is poor in spirit, it means they are down in the dumps. Depressed. Sorrowful. And this is exactly the kind of person that you would say, has nothing to lose. The person that has hit rock bottom, he can't go any lower; that's why its called "rock bottom". So he's desperate for something, some hint of hope. Even atheists, when they are desperate for hope, pray to God. If you combine this with what Jesus said in Matthew 7:7 ("seek and you will find"), a person that is desperate for hope will seek God, and he will find. So David says in Psalm 51:17...
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
God sees the pain. God knows a contrite heart. He does not ignore it. And sometimes, in some situations, a broken spirit is exactly what the doctor ordered. That's exactly what we need to make ourselves whole. This might seem mysterious, but I will explain.
I can think of nothing more beautiful, except God Himself, than a sad face. The beauty of a sad face is not skin deep; it goes beyond that. A sad face stirs up sympathy in our hearts, compassion in our souls. A sad face forces us to exercise these wonderful traits, and it is actually good for us. When we exercise compassion and sympathy because of someone's mourning, we feel a kind of deep satisfaction. Not joy of course, but a kind of contentment in our soul. Its too hard for me to explain. But I'm sure many people know what I'm talking about. Solomon did; he says in Ecclesiastes 7:3-4...
Sorrow is better than laughter, because a sad face is good for the heart. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure.
Sorrow also has the affect of making our lives more balanced, maturing us and building character. What do I mean by balance? Well, if all you ever experience is happiness and pleasure, it will be sure to make you jaded. You will never be satisfied by it. But if you experience real sorrow, then you can take joy in even simple goodness. The warmth of sunshine takes on a new meaning: it is a gift from God. What do I mean by maturing? A person who has experienced sorrow understands. He sees the world for what it is. He knows that there is no hope on this earth, and he knows that he must look to Heaven. What do I mean by building character? You become a better person because of the sorrow you experience. You are able to sympathize with the downcast. Love grows in your heart because of it. Just like Jesus; He loved and cared for us, because He experienced sorrow and knew mourning.
A true man can worship God with joy and singing. A true man can also worship God in silence, with tears and his head to the ground.
These are a couple, among many, of the things that Jesus said which revolutionized my way of thinking. I used to think, like most people naturally do, that being happy is good and being sad is bad. But Jesus turns the world upside-down: according to Him, the first are last and the last are first. According to Jesus, we are blessed when we are sad and blessed when we mourn. After much study and meditation I have come to understand it, and what Jesus says makes perfect sense.
If a person is poor in spirit, it means they are down in the dumps. Depressed. Sorrowful. And this is exactly the kind of person that you would say, has nothing to lose. The person that has hit rock bottom, he can't go any lower; that's why its called "rock bottom". So he's desperate for something, some hint of hope. Even atheists, when they are desperate for hope, pray to God. If you combine this with what Jesus said in Matthew 7:7 ("seek and you will find"), a person that is desperate for hope will seek God, and he will find. So David says in Psalm 51:17...
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
God sees the pain. God knows a contrite heart. He does not ignore it. And sometimes, in some situations, a broken spirit is exactly what the doctor ordered. That's exactly what we need to make ourselves whole. This might seem mysterious, but I will explain.
I can think of nothing more beautiful, except God Himself, than a sad face. The beauty of a sad face is not skin deep; it goes beyond that. A sad face stirs up sympathy in our hearts, compassion in our souls. A sad face forces us to exercise these wonderful traits, and it is actually good for us. When we exercise compassion and sympathy because of someone's mourning, we feel a kind of deep satisfaction. Not joy of course, but a kind of contentment in our soul. Its too hard for me to explain. But I'm sure many people know what I'm talking about. Solomon did; he says in Ecclesiastes 7:3-4...
Sorrow is better than laughter, because a sad face is good for the heart. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure.
Sorrow also has the affect of making our lives more balanced, maturing us and building character. What do I mean by balance? Well, if all you ever experience is happiness and pleasure, it will be sure to make you jaded. You will never be satisfied by it. But if you experience real sorrow, then you can take joy in even simple goodness. The warmth of sunshine takes on a new meaning: it is a gift from God. What do I mean by maturing? A person who has experienced sorrow understands. He sees the world for what it is. He knows that there is no hope on this earth, and he knows that he must look to Heaven. What do I mean by building character? You become a better person because of the sorrow you experience. You are able to sympathize with the downcast. Love grows in your heart because of it. Just like Jesus; He loved and cared for us, because He experienced sorrow and knew mourning.
A true man can worship God with joy and singing. A true man can also worship God in silence, with tears and his head to the ground.
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