“Turn our mourning into gladness and our sorrows into wholeness.”- Esther C:25
As we journey through this first week of Lent, we may have begun to experience emotions of sadness along with longing for things we have decided to give up. Yet, the more we experience sorrow and mourning, the more we turn our souls, hearts, minds, bodies, our entirety to the Lord. We know that He alone ultimately gives us the peace that which the Earth and others cannot give, a peace that will turn our mourning and sorrows to gladness and joy.
Turning to the Lord in moments of grief is an experience I am sure all of us have experienced at one point or another. For myself, when my dad passed away last May, I was left in a great amount of grief. However, amidst this grief, I found consolation through knowing the hope we all share in the eternal life after death. I especially found comfort in the Anointing of the sick for my dad and the many prayers said for him.
As we journey through this Lenten season, we will experience sorrows and mourning. But we know that in the end, joy will conquer sadness, death and sin have been conquered! We know that at the end of Lent we get to experience the great joy of Jesus’ resurrection. Therefore, let us allow God to turn any sorrows we may experience into joy as we keep our eyes focused on the resurrection of Jesus in preparation for Easter.
– Rollen Ellsworth