Mourning is a very complicated thing; it is a negative feeling to sadness, guilt, and maybe even regret. Yet, it is a powerful healing process that sets your heart free from these things that have been hurting and doing damage to it. It is like having to do an operation that cuts out something in your body that is a disease. The cutting isn’t pleasant; but, it is your way into being set free from the disease.

Being a person who mourns is a person who has been empowered by God to feel bad about those things they have done and are doing that are wrong. If you don’t see anything that needs to change, then it makes sense that you are not going to want to change. Jesus uses mourning to help you not only SEE that you need to repent of some things, He uses it to help you FEEL how wrong, bad, or evil it was. That helps you get to a place of mourning where you gladly repent, want to tell Jesus you are sorry, and may even allow your heart to shed some tears over it.

Jesus can't help you with any of the problems that are hurting you, if you don't see anything wrong or feel bad about what you have or are doing. Feeling wrong, bad, or guilty about your past or present can be the first steps into God’s power-attitude of mourning. But, you probably already feel pretty bad about some of the things you have done. However, mourning isn’t JUST a process of feeling sad about those things you have done or are doing that are wrong, bad, or evil. Mourning may also empower you to feel bad about those things you haven’t done or should be doing that would be right, good, and righteous.

Mourning is the type of feeling bad that takes you beyond guilt, feeling sorry, wishing things had been different, or regret. This power-attitude of God actually leads you into blessings and healing from Jesus. This is why Jesus said in Matthew 5:4 (NIV) Blessed are those who mourn, for they WILL be comforted. If you will allow yourself to yield to this feeling of mourning, it will take you to a comfort through Jesus giving you forgiveness, blessings, and healing. 2 Cor 7:9 (NIV) Yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us.

You desparately need SOMEONE to forgive you for so many things you wish you had done differently. The way you may have dealt with the regret and guilt is to try not to think about it. But, that process pushes great emotional pressure deep down into the part of you where your feelings are. The Bible calls this mystical part of you your heart; it is a place where you feel things but can’t control those feelings and desires.

Forgiveness from Jesus has the power to give you comfort by healing emotions that are painful and controlling. When you do things you wish you had handled better, a deep desire to be forgiven for those activities comes into your heart. You need to be loved, accepted, respected, and appreciated; but, when you do and say things that you know are wrong, you feel rejection, anger, frustration, and retaliation from others. Guilt and regret fill your heart and cause you to want these people to forgive and accept you. That is why Jesus is saying to you: Blessed are those who mourn, for they WILL be comforted.

You can try to forgive yourself; but, your forgiveness won’t produce love, respect, acceptance, and friendship from others. You can try to get forgiveness from others, but their forgiveness can’t undo the words and deeds that you used against them. They may forgive you and try to forget what you did; but, there can be this distrust that exists between you and them; and, you will feel that distrust. Human forgiveness can help to START to heal the relationship but it can’t heal your and their hearts; Jesus has to do that.

When God’s power-attitude of mourning empowers you to come to Jesus; He will lead you in praying and asking Him for forgiveness. He has the power to reach down into your heart and cause you to FEEL His forgiveness; this will give you a special comfort. Even when you and those around you can’t forgive and forget, Jesus is able to heal your heart and let you feel HIS love, respect, acceptance, and forgiveness. When He forgives you, you really get forgiveness for your past, your present, AND for your future.

It is hard for you and other people to forgive you because you MIGHT turn right back around and DO IT AGAIN! You may not mean to or want to; but, you COULD fail yourself and all those around you again. How many times are you and they going to keep on forgiving you just to be disappointed once more? Jesus doesn’t forgive you so you can TRY to do better next time. He forgives you so you and He can work together to provide you with the power and the transformation you need to BE a better person. You can make a parrot talk “like” a person but that doesn’t make it human. You can get a monkey to “act” like a human; but, that doesn’t transform it into a human.

If you pray and ask Jesus for His help, He will change you into the person you have always wanted to be. A baby won’t act like an adult; but, if given enough time, training, food, and care, they will BECOME an adult. They won’t be like a monkey who may “act” like an adult; they will BE an adult. As you mature into an adult child of God, you will STOP DOING most of those things you will need forgiveness for.

Before you became a Christian, you may have made some changes in your life that made you “act” better; however, it was a constant effort to keep up the act. Prayer is a conversation with Jesus where you ask Him to keep bringing more and more transformation into you. In other words, when Jesus answers your prayers, He MAKES YOU INTO that kind of person rather than you learning how to “act” like that kind of person. On the next page, you and Jesus will work on a prayer that will help you become the person you and He want you to be.