Words to Treasure
Blessed are those who are sad. They will be comforted.
Matthew 5:4
It was so fast that Janelle didn’t really know what had happened until it was all over. Her brother grabbed her hand and dragged her into the storm cellar with her family. Then it sounded as if a train drove right over their house. It was so loud she covered her ears. She never wanted to hear something that terrible again. She felt the house shudder and heard wood crack and splinter. Then as quickly as it came, the twister passed.
Now Janelle was standing in front of a pile of rubble that had been her house. It was like a dollhouse that somebody picked up and shattered into a million pieces. She started to cry. A fireman walked over and pulled a teddy bear from his coat. Janelle fell into his big arms and cried and cried.
Life can be full of hard, hard things that come and turn our world upside down in minutes. But Jesus said if you’re sad you will be comforted. Not only is Jesus there for you, but God will also send people to help you. You’re never ever alone, because God promises to bring friends to help you and comfort you.
In Bible times, when people were sad or upset, they often put on clothes made out of uncomfortable material and walked around barefoot. Sometimes they tore their clothes or cut their hair to show how sad they were. They also put ashes on their heads.