And, If That Were Not Enough

I am thinking of my cousin and his wife and family today.  After delivering twin boys, one of them had some serious health problems and, over the weekend, his lungs collapsed and he could not be revived.

Our extended family is mourning the loss of Conner Daniel Alvey.

It is my prayer that they would be comforted.

Some of my thoughts have gone to what it means to grieve or mourn...it is such a deep void that words hardly ever make sense to describe it.  We use the above verse often in our feeble attempts to provide encouragement...BUT, some Bible scholars believe we take it out of it's true context.  I disagree with it being completely out of context, but I think we don't always come to the whole understanding of the verse when we only apply it this way.  The grief we feel when we lose a loved one is like a living illustration for us from God to begin to understand this verse.  Actually, there are so many illustrations in life to show us what Jesus is talking about.  This one connects our deepest void of extreme earthly loss to separation from GOD unto DEATH.  It is really implying that when we realize we are completely separated from GOD we will mourn as if we had lost someone of incredible value to us....but, really we are grieving the loss of ourselves when we finally understand that we are DEAD IN OUR TRANSGRESSIONS.  Mourning acknowledges death because it signifies a complete separation from life. 

The reason we are blessed in this kind of mourning is because it is, spiritually, the first step back to life...our return journey home with the tears of our grief still falling down our cheeks.

It would mean nothing if there was not some kind of reunion, right?  BUT, there is and will be too!  The one who comforts us will RUN to US to end the separation.

AND, if that were not enough, HE will also allow us the joy of seeing our earthy loved ones again who are in HIM....

NO MORE SEPARATION.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8t3-RfKrPWg

We can find a lot of things in HIS LOVE :)

That is why I think the verse from the Beatitudes can be such an encouragement to us spiritually, 

AND GOD LOVES US SO MUCH....

it can also apply to our mourning in this physical existence and toward our deepest desires to be reunited with loved ones.