By Mallory Mattingly
In a world fractured by loss and burdened by the weight of our own failures, Atlanta Falcons running back Nathan Carter holds on to the truth that God comforts those mourning.
Matthew 5:4 reads, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”
“Have you ever felt the weight of loss so deeply that tears seemed the only honest response? Or witnessed a loved one suffering, feeling powerless to help? Perhaps you turned on your social media or the news and were struck by the world’s brokenness, leaving you with just one question: why?” Carter asked in a post on his Instagram. “Perhaps you’ve done something so destructive that the fear of it being discovered haunts you, forcing you to wear a mask to hide your distress. Or maybe someone committed an injustice against you that no one knows, leaving you with a heavy burden of guilt and shame that makes getting out of bed each day a struggle.”
“Whether it’s one of these or all of them, the reality is that mourning is woven into our human experience. We inhabit a world stained by death and sin, which wasn’t God’s design,” the running back continued. “When we grieve over loss, broken relationships, injustice, and our own failures, we’re acknowledging a deeper truth: that our grief is proof that this isn’t how it’s supposed to be. Our tears are an act of alignment with God’s own heart, which grieves what sin has destroyed.”
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Carter explained that even the most perfect man of all – Jesus – also mourned.
“The tears Christ shed as He entered this world are the same tears that led Him on the Cross for you,” Carter said. “Jesus sees you in your grief and shame and brokenness, and He does not intend for you to remain there. The sin that taints your life and the world, Christ died for. He personally died for you so that in Him you would live. And in the midst of your mourning, He is the One who calls you blessed because it is in our mourning that we experience the comfort and safety of a loving Father who promises to one day wipe away all our tears.”
“Because of Christ, we do not mourn without hope, but we mourn with hope anchored in the resurrection of our King and the promise of comfort and glorification,” he added. “No other hope compares to this. No other figure can make this promise. The same God who rose from the dead is the same one who will restore what was broken. So, blessed are those who are in a state of mourning, for in Christ you and you alone will be comforted.”
Ultimately, our deepest sorrows are met by the promise of Christ, who turns the bitterness of mourning into a hope of eternal restoration and divine comfort.
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