Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the greatest soccer players in the world. Last year at Euro 2024, he missed a penalty shot. He felt he’d let his team and fans down. The great athlete’s face twisted into pain, and he couldn’t keep from weeping. His tears dominated the headlines the next day.

If an athlete can weep over a missed shot, shouldn’t we be able to weep over our sins? There are a few occasions in life when we can’t help but cry when we see the mistake we made, the sin we committed, or the harm we did. Matthew 5:4 says, in the Amplified Bible, “Blessed [forgiven, refreshed by God’s grace] are those who mourn [over their sins and repent], for they will be comforted [when the burden of sin is lifted].”

The closer we come to the Lord, the more sensitive we become to sin in our life. We know we are bankrupt without the Lord, and we mourn our sin. The Lord not only forgives us; He also comforts us.

Spiritual mourning is the godly sorrow that produces repentance, and it is blessed because it leads to life. The more you have of this kind of mourning in your life, the more blessed you will be.
Colin S. Smith