Listen

“Happy are people who grieve, because they will be made glad.

“Happy are people who are humble, because they will inherit the earth.”

Matthew 5:4-5

Think

In J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, there’s a moment when one character reflects on a dangerous world and says, “The world is indeed full of peril, and in it there are many dark places; but still there is much that is fair, and though in all the lands love is now mingled with grief, it grows perhaps the greater.” Tolkien’s story often circles back to the idea that sadness is great, but for this very reason joy and love well up stronger.

In today’s scripture, Jesus tells us that people who experience grief are happy because they will be made glad. Jesus promises us that grief, sadness, and pain will not have the last word. When we live in God’s way, we’ll find a joy that is stronger than any grief we experience.

Andrew Garnett

Question to Ponder:

Why is it helpful or hopeful to know that grief doesn’t last forever?

Pray

God, sometimes my world feels dangerous and sad. One thing that feels sad today is…

I am so glad that your hope is stronger than sadness. When I feel sad, help me to remember that grief will never have the last word. Amen.

Go

Go to live in the love of God, the way of Jesus, and the peace of the Holy Spirit.