"Wait, God encourages me to grieve, mourn, and wail?"

If you’re seeking to live a life surrendered to Jesus, you’re allowed to struggle.

You’re allowed to weep, mourn, and grieve.

In fact, James 4 tells us to do exactly that.

Why?

Because following Jesus often means grieving the things we once believed would satisfy us.

For so long, we can spend our lives trying to find our worth in what we own, what we accomplish, how we look, who loves us, or how we compare to everyone else.

But you were never meant to earn your worth.

You were never meant to define yourself by what you do, what you have, or how you measure up.

Jesus freely offers what the world keeps telling us we have to earn: identity, purpose, love, grace, and belonging.

And learning to receive those gifts can be painful.

Sometimes we have to grieve the version of ourselves we thought we needed to become. We have to mourn the things we chased that never fulfilled us. We have to bring our disappointment, anger, confusion, and loss into God's presence instead of hiding them.

God cares about what we feel.

He doesn't ask us to pretend we're okay. He invites us to bring our whole hearts to Him.

“Grieve, mourn and wail.” — James 4:9

No more hiding.

No more believing that vulnerability is weakness.

No more measuring your worth by the standards of a world that can never fully satisfy you.

Bring your grief to God.

Bring your questions to God.

Bring your desires to God.

And let His love meet you there.

Because becoming more like Jesus doesn't mean becoming someone who never struggles.

It means becoming someone who knows where to take the struggle.

Become the woman who knows who she is because she knows whose she is. The woman who can walk freely, embrace who God created her to be, seek wisdom, love deeply, and stop living for the approval of others.

You are allowed to grieve. And you don't have to grieve alone.

Inspired by James 4.