Godly Sorrow

        A common misconception in the world today is that Christians are typically happy, smiling people, sometimes to the point of foolishness.  As any true Christian knows, we are not.  We are people with our own shares of struggles, trials, and toils in the world, and yet we can smile through them because we are filled with a joy that is not of this world.  We also, if acting as Christ intended, live out the words of Galations 6:2.  Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.  Also, if we are living life in Christ, we can expect persecution. “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.  If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. (John 15:18-19)  In short, true Christians are not strangers to suffering.

        My question is, though we are familiar with sorrow, is it a godly sorrow?

        There are probably some Christians who would look at me funny for using the phrase "godly sorrow."  Some might wonder if there is such a thing.  We know that God feels love, but what cause does He have to be sad?  He is God; He has all wealth and wisdom, angels praise Him constantly, and He is in complete control of the universe.  It seems natural for humanity to be in pain, but not God.  In fact, sometimes people blame God for their own pain.  What many do not realize is that much of what we humans experience God experiences, although ours is on a much smaller scale.  Man is made in God's very image, albeit an image that has been corrupted.  We feel anger and anguish and frustration and hatred and and desire, and truly God feels all of these things as well.  I'm on a slippery slope here, because although God and humanity share a range of emotions, it does not mean that we experience them in the same way.  For instance, people are prone to hating other people.  Is that godly?  Absolutely not!  God does not hate His Creation, though He may be angry with us.  God hates not the evil doer, but the evil itself.  We have a tendency to misdirect our emotions, which is why they cannot always be trusted.  

        But what is the cause of God's sorrow?  What could have the power to break the heart of our Creator?  The answer is devastating and simple: you and I.  The fact of the matter is, God is love. (see 1 John 4:7-8)  And love, the true, real, pure kind, is unconditional and sacrificial.  Unconditional, as in, even when you've broken God's law for the zillionth time, even when you don't wish to return His love, even when you curse His name and curse the people around you, He still loves you completely.  His love for you never ends, never stops, and cannot be overwhelmed or overcome.  Sacrificial, as in, He will give up everything for you.  He actually already did, coming to the earth as a Man, leaving the glory of Heaven, giving up His dignity and His life, for you.  For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.(John 3:16)  For God so loved you, He did this, and for God so loved me, and my neighbor, and the politicians and the slaves and everyone.  Love can be absolutely delightful.  I know God delights in His creation.  But love can also be a great burden.  When one loves in an unconditional, sacrificial way, and that love is not returned, it is tragic.

        Humanity's refusal of His love is only part of God's grief.  Another large portion is due to the consequences of refusing that love.  God designed people to be loved by Him and to love Him, and when any person turns away from His love, they are denying what they desperately need and were made for.  What seperates people from God is, in a word, sin.  What is pure and holy (God) simply cannot mix with what is unholy, imperfect, and impure.  Sin entered the heart of man when he chose it in Eden.  Can we even begin to imagine how painful this must have been for God?  These people that He created and loved passionately chose something that seperated He from them.  He still loved them, but their choices had consequences.  Without blood, there is no remission of sin. (see Hebrews 9:22)  This is why God sent His Son: to shed His holy blood, to pay the price in the place of humanity.  But not all accept this forgiveness, and so they are lost, blinded by their own evil, broken, alone, and spiritually dead.  He longs to heal, to comfort, and to forgive, but many deny even His existence until death.  Heaven weeps for every lost child, for every broken heart, for every shattered family, and for every sin we commit, which steals life from us.  The shortest, and perhaps most poignant, verse in all of Scripture simply says: Jesus wept. (John 11:35)  This verse is found in the middle of the story of the death and resurrection of Lazarus, a friend of Jesus.'  Lazarus was not the only one Jesus brought back from the dead, but his story is perhaps the most famous because of the detail it was recorded in.  You may be wondering, If Jesus was about to raise Lazarus from the dead, why was He weeping?  This is a question many have sought to answer.  I believe Jesus wept because He shared the pain felt by Lazarus' family and friends, and even more than that, Jesus was weeping because of the sting of death.  Death entered the world through sin, and sin entered the world through man's choices.  Though Jesus has conquered Death once and for all, a person's victory over it can only be found in Him.  Our rebellious nature prevents many from receiving salvation.  The sorrow sin brings to the Lord God Almighty's heart is immeasurable.

        What is godly sorrow?  It is the profound grief borne by love for all of mankind.  Yes, Christians are familiar with sorrow, but do we know godly sorrow?  Do we love others so much that we would weep for a sinner?  For observe this very thing, that you sorrowed in a godly manner: What diligence it produced in you, what clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication! In all things you proved yourselves to be clear in this matter. (2 Corinthians 7:11)  Godly sorrow motivates action.  This was demonstrated on the cross.  Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. (Luke 9:23)  As Christians, let us take up our crosses out of love for others; desperate, unconditional, sacrificial love.  I encourage you, if you are a Believer in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, to grant you some of His sorrow and love for all people.  Not that we should be overwhelmed with sadness, for the joy of the Lord is your strength. (Nehemiah 8:10)  But let us endeavor to become more Christ-like in character.

        Thank you for reading, and may God bless you.