What are some ways I should mourn?

Luke 19:41-42As they came closer to Jerusalem and Jesus saw the city ahead, he began to weep. “How I wish today that you of all people would understand the way to peace. But now it is too late, and peace is hidden from your eyes.”

We should not hesitate to mourn with tears. Jesus wept over Jerusalem.

2 Corinthians 7:10The kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death.

James 4:9-10Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.

If we are truly sorry for our sins, we should mourn by humbly confessing them to God and turning away from them.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-14Now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died.

We can grieve and mourn when a loved one dies, but we should not “grieve like people who have no hope.” For them, this is the end. But we know that we will see our believing grandparent, parent, child, or other loved one again in heaven. So we can look up and even smile through our tears, secure in the reality of God’s promise.