Fortified

“Beloved, when Jesus says, “Blessed or those who mourn for they will be comforted.” He is not speaking of the comfort we think of-being made to feel better with an understanding hug. No, the word “comfort” in the original Greek means “fortified by the Holy Spirit.” So one could easily read this verse as “blessed are those who mourn for they will be fortified.” 

Hope ignited in my heart as l listened to the speaker, a man who we knew and deeply trusted. Turning to Matt, I whispered, “This changes everything.” 

For five years I had mourned the child I expected, mourned the brokenness of cerebral palsy. I mourned the way our lives would never be the same. I mourned watching my sweet girl so frustrated because her body would not do what her brain so desperately wanted to do. She is a fun loving five year old stuck in a body that poorly functions. I mourned the countless hours I spend taking her to therapy and doing home therapy. I mourned the time lost with our older children. I mourned the toll special needs took on our friendships, our finances and our future-I mourned how difficult it was to do anything or go anywhere. I mourned the isolation. I mourned the daily and nightly battle that no one seemed to understand. 

Mourning had ravaged my heart. I had white-knuckled onto verses like this one for years, hoping and praying it would come to life in my heart. I had lost hope that it ever would. Until now. 

“Blessed or those who mourn for they will be fortified,” words I had read countless times, became brand new that day. Simple, truth filled words were a deep, satisfying drink to a broken and desperate soul. Mourning had purpose when partnering with Jesus. 

My life was not a waste. Where Evil wants to destroy my life with sorrow, God intends for good.