Brigitte Buckbee- 2017

One spring day a farmhand arrived to work and was greeted as usual with a hearty “Mornin’!” from his boss, a hard working older farmer. Work passed as usual until late afternoon, when, having told a joke, the farmhand’s jest was met with only somber silence from his boss. Later, when he asked where a particular tool was, the boss only pointed to where the item sat, a pensive expression on his face.

Finally, when the farmhand’s attempt to start up a conversation was met with only a pat on the shoulder and a despondent sigh, he became truly worried. Anxious to know what had caused such sadness in his boss, but unable to engage him in conversation, the farmhand stopped in to see the boss’s wife. Relating to her the countenance of her husband, she was able to quickly clear up the farmhand’s confusion: “He’s mourning; he lost someone today.”

Taken aback, the farmhand inquired who had passed away, that the loss caused such a deep and grievous response. With a soft smile she replied “His Savior”. The farmhand had forgotten that it was Good Friday!

Many Christian denominations around the world observe the period between the hour of Jesus’s death on Good Friday and Easter morning with mourning silence, using that time to reflect on Jesus’s sacrifice, the painful loss felt by his disciples and early followers at his death, the consequences of sin, and their own personal need for redemption.

Unfortunately, in today’s world, it can be frustrating when unbelievers expect Christians to be consistently perky people, responding to life’s pains and trials with a fixed smile and catchy phrase of encouragement. The reality is that God expects us to feel sorrow and to fully and deeply grieve. Jesus said “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” This allows us to, above all things, grieve as those who mourn WITH hope, knowing that the Lord, our greatest comforter, will never truly leave us. This week, take time to remember that sorrow should, for us, be the natural expression that leads us back to the joy of the Cross!