Young ministry leaders typically have more experience celebrating than mourning. After 9 years of college and youth ministry, I’ve been to many more graduations, baptisms, and weddings than hospitals and funerals. While I’ve seen my share of tragedy and brokenness, the life events of my people skew to the happier side and there’s nothing wrong with that. But the second beatitude highlights a reality that every minister should know deeply: Mourning is an inevitable part of life.

While the world runs from mourning, ministry leaders are confronted with it constantly. They are acquainted with the brokenness of this world more than most. Not only do they have their own brokenness, but they must address the world’s from the pulpits and their congregants in the counseling session. Escapism and blind optimism may work for the world, but mourning, lament, and hope are where ministry leaders must turn.

The Blessing of Mourning

When Jesus says “Blessed are those who mourn,” the natural question is, “mourn what?” The broad answer is brokenness. More specifically, sin and it’s consequences. Brokenness, or more simply evil, includes all the effects of a fallen world that one may see. And frankly you don’t have to go far to see it. Natural disasters, poverty, mental illness, spiritual deception, wars and senseless violence are all readily available content. Our temptation may be to ignore these realities or place blame on someone, but the greater reality that these circumstances dwell in is to blame. That greater reality is that all creation has been subject to futility, is in bondage to corruption, and is the pains of childbirth (Romans 8:19-22). We cannot escape or repair this reality. We must fully acknowledge it and join creation as it groans in anticipation for Jesus’ return and redemption of all things (Romans 8:23, Colossians 1:20).

We are also blessed when we mourn the sins of others. It ought to break our hearts to see people in bondage to sin. We should mourn when they follow emptiness or harm others with their selfishness. Rather than excuse or downplay their sin, we should follow the example of the Psalmist: “My eyes shed streams of tears, because people do not keep your law” (Psalm 119:136). A true shepherd weeps over the spiritual afflictions and violations that plague the sheep.

Perhaps the most important category of mourning concerns our personal sin. The ministry leader especially must be acquainted with his own sin and be grieved by it. Sin should not abide peacefully in the soul of God’s servant. There should be contrition that finds abhorrent the unwelcome guest of sin in our hearts and lays it before the Holy King. Like Isaiah in his vision of the LORD, we must mourn our sinfulness in the presence of a Holy God and ask for forgiveness and cleansing, knowing that He is faithful and just to do every time (Isaiah 6:1-6, 1 John 1:9).

The Blessing of Comfort

So why are those who mourn blessed? They are blessed “for they shall be comforted.” Their blessing is not just from mere lamentation or grief, but the expectation that comfort is coming. While a hopeless world looks at evil with disgust and despair, we look on knowing that God has promised to heal, forgive, and reconcile all things. We know that “Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy” (Psalm 126:5)! Think about that. Our tears of sorrow, when cried in hope and faith, are actually seeds that will sprout into joy when the Comforter comes! What a gift!

3 Practical Thoughts for Mourning

1. Don’t skip mourning in your own life.
Leaders often feel like they have to be put together, strong and unmoved. But affliction knows no partiality and respects not your position or calling. It is extremely important to handle grief and mourning when it comes rather than shrug it off or push it down. The first reason is for our own emotional and spiritual health. Grief, as challenging as it is, are meant to be walked through with God rather than walked around. It is in the journey that God teaches you the deep things of His character and solidified your faith in Him.

The second reason is for our ministry leadership. In 2 Corinthians 1:1-7, Paul explains that God comforts us in our afflictions so that we can comfort others in theirs as well. How can we comfort others if we know nothing of God’s comfort ourselves? It may feel better in the moment to skip the grieving process, ignore a tragedy, or put a personal struggle out of your mind, but God plans to meet you with comfort and use your experience to minister to others.

2. Go to hospitals and funerals.
Romans 12:15 says, “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.” This call to empathy asks us to share not just in the life experiences of others but also the emotions of others. Much of our ministries will be mourning losses and afflictions that are not our own. If we want to grow in our ability to mourn with those who mourn, we have to participate in the afflicted lives of our church. Tag along with a senior leader to minister to someone in the hospital or pray with someone who is home bound. Go to the funeral, even if you didn’t really know the church member who passed. Through those experiences, God will not only soften your heart to the brokenness of your people, but also prepare you for when this is a more common part of your ministry.

3. Pray the news
Has the news ever had anything good to say? I genuinely don’t know! It’s so easy to get trapped in a cycle of pessimism and despair that is 24/7 news access. But what if we turned that despair into mourning and hope? What if instead of doom scrolling, we engaged the news with prayer and sowed seeds of sorrow that might sprout into hope and comfort?

Thought Questions:

1. Where do you see mourning in your ministry now?
2. Are there things in your life that you have left unmourned, such as unconcealed sin, a tragedy unaddressed, or the loss of a friend you’ve put out of mind?
3. What can you do this week to engage with mourning?