Mourning

This summer, I took a 10-year-old for a 5-day camping trip. He was excited about everything from sleeping in a tent to paddling canoe and playing badminton. But there were also some  moments when he was missing his parents. We called them, and after he had had a chat with them, everything was okay again.

Before going to sleep, we used to spend some time reading the Bible and praying together. The last evening, I suggested we should pray that Jesus would help him to not become sad again. His response was: “Why? Sometimes it is good to be sad for a little while.”

We may think that a good life means we should always be happy. My little friend taught me an important lesson. A good life includes all kinds of emotions. God hasn't promised us a life without sorrows, grief, and sadness. But He has promised to comfort those who mourn.

`Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted` (Matthew 5:4).

We feel comforted when we recognise that somebody else understands how we feel. It is important to give each other space and time for sadness and sorrow. When I comforted my little friend, I didn´t try to make him stop being sad, I simply showed him that I understood how he felt. I gave him space to share his sadness with me, without trying to distract him from being in his emotions.

That obviously made him feel seen, understood, safe, and protected. After some minutes the emotions had done their job, and he could go on with other activities again. I am so pleased that our heavenly Father has provided us with emotions. They are tools we can use to react to our experiences and circumstances and to then process them.