Mourning

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. – Matthew 5:4 

It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting . . .
Sorrow is better than laughter, because a sad face is good for the heart. – Ecclesiastes 7:2-3

Mourning is the process of feeling and expressing deep grief or sorrow. It is a process of healing and letting go. The concept of mourning is found over a hundred times in the Bible.

In a psychological sense, mourning is closely associated with the process of grieving. An understanding of the grief process can be helpful to the one who desires to practice mourning as a discipline during a time of loss or intense pain. The normal stages of the grief process are:

1. shock and denial
2. anger (anger turned outward)
3. depression (anger turned inward)
4. bargaining
5. sadness
6. resolution, acceptance, and forgiveness

Since grief or mourning is a highly individualized process, it is important to understand that people experience it very differently. The stages listed above are only general categories of the way people generally process grief.

 

1. Designate a period of time to spend in mourning. Some people choose a day or two. Some choose a week or more. The goal is to allow yourself to be sad and to grieve over issues of sin and loss in your life. Choose an issue in your life that you believe you have not given a proper amount of grieving to. During this time, avoid feeling pressured by others to be happy. Allow yourself to remain in a process of mourning as long as you need to.
   
2. If you have difficulty crying, allow yourself to watch a movie or read a story which you know is sad and will prompt these deep seated emotions in your soul. As you watch or read, allow yourself to feel the sadness. If this brings you to the point of tears, allow yourself to weep as long and as hard as you need to.

 

© 2006-2010 Michael Bischof, SOULeader Resources. All rights reserved. Copies may be made for personal or group use only.