In the second beatitude, Matthew 5:4, we see one of the absolute strangest things that Jesus ever said. It is something you would never hear the world say, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted” (Matthew 5:4). This statement does not align with our natural leaning. We all want to be happy all the time. But Jesus says, in effect, “Happy are the unhappy.” You are blessed if at least sometimes you have a broken heart. Honestly, don’t we all want to go through life without any sorrow, any pain, any

heartache, any suffering? I think it would be wonderful, but you will learn that it is not all you’d expect it to be. I’ve learned that you grow closer to God in the bad times than you do in the good times. You learn more about yourself, your spiritual maturity, and your real love for Jesus, not in the good times, but in the bad times. So with this in mind, let’s take a closer look at what Jesus was talking about in this beatitude and learn how to apply it to our lives as we follow Christ.