"Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted."(Matthew 5:4)
"They that Mourn". The word "mourn" means to grieve due to loss, most of the time, the loss of the life of a loved one. We are created in the image of God so therefore we love deeply and we are very connected to those in our family/friend circle. We are so much like our Creator that we are emotional over the pain and suffering of people we hear about that we don't even know personally. Unfortunately mourning the loss of loved ones is as much a part of life as life itself. As a Pastor, one of the things that goes with the calling of Ministry, is trying to comfort those that are mourning the loss of a loved one. From the standpoint of a Minister, it begins with a phone call, the news of an elderly person has passed but is in a better place, or someone that has poor health has had a heart attack and didn't make it. The worst possible phone call you can get as a Pastor is that someone in your church has lost a child. The sadness associated with the loss of a child is beyond my personal comprehension because I've personally never lost a child. Since I am a Pastor, I comfort people that go through all kind of hardships, tragedies and loss. My wife and I have two sons that have given us two wonderful daughter-n-loves and three angelic grandsons. We have never experienced such a horrific loss as that of a child, so to help us better comfort those that have lost children, we sat and talked with two families that had each suffered this horrific experience. The two senior citizen family's that we talked to, even though it has been many years since their loss could recant every detail. As we listened to their stories unfold we realized that all we could do to comfort those that lose children unexpectedly, is cry with them, pray with them, embrace them and let them feel our love. Mourning the loss of someone that you love more than life itself is a process that we can only get through with the mercy and grace of God. It is during these times that we, God's children, should stand so close to our friends that we can catch them if they fall. "Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy."(Matthew 5:7). The Mercy of God is what gets all of us through the dark days of life and if you live on this planet long enough, you will need mercy from God and your fellow citizens. When we find ourselves in these dark times, the more people we have around us the more strength we feel because there is strength in numbers. "Two are better than one; For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up."(Ecclesiastes 4:9a-10) If someone near you is hurting today, reach out your hand, you never know when you may need theirs. And may God protect us all in Jesus' name!!!
Pastor Scott L. Boatner
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Scott Boatner