Blessed are those that weep…..For they will experience joy.

In Luke 6: 21, Jesus tells us that those who weep now, will laugh.  This brings up a vivid image for me of Sarah laughing with joy when she found out she was pregnant.  I can imagine Sarah finding out that she was pregnant at the age of 90.  I think I would cry myself!  Having babies is for the young.  It’s hard work.  And yet Sarah had yearned for a child all her years.  At that time, she probably felt less than a woman being unable to conceive.  Her heart was not whole without a child.  Sarah prayed to God.  God listened. Sarah found out she was having a child and laughed.  I think Sarah laughed from joy.  I also think Sarah laughed from sheer amazement of what God can do.

“Now Sarah said, ‘God has brought laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh with me’” (Genesis 21:6).  Whether or not you believe Sarah was 90 and that she had  baby at such a great age is irrelevant.  Sarah is telling us that through grief, through trusting in God, there will be joy.  The psalmist reflects this message as well, “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning” (Psalm 30:5).

Weeping may last for longer than a day.  Your pain may run deep and you may wonder if the day  will come where your weeping will stop.  I am reminded by all the messages in the Bible that we are repeatedly told to “Trust in God.”  I believe that your time will come in which you experience joy.  When you aren’t sure if it will, remind yourself of the message of Sarah and the Psalmist and many other key people in the Bible:  The Lord keeps his promises.  Trust in God.

Anna Fitch Courie is an army wife, nurse, layperson, and the author of several books, including the “Christ Walk” series from Church Publishing and the Sally the Comet books from CreateSpace. Anna finds her calling where health and spirituality intersect.  Anna is a registered nurse and worked in health care for the past twenty years. More recently, she has been a consultant on building community coalitions on health. Anna is a graduate of Clemson University, the University of Wyoming, and Education for Ministry at Sewanee: the University of the South. She is currently enrolled at Ohio State University in the Doctoral in Nursing Practice program. Home is wherever the Army (and God) sends her.  You can find her blog at Christ Walk (www.christwalk40day.blogspot.com); on facebook at www.facebook.com/Christwalk40day; on twitter @christwalk1 and on Instagram @christwalk1.