Three Kinds of Sorrow: Unlawful, Legitimate, and Relieved

When the psalmist cries, "I go mourning" (Psalm 38:6), we must examine the nature of our grief. Spurgeon identified three categories of sorrow that warrant our attention. First, there are unlawful reasons for mourning—those sorrows born of pride wounded, ambitions thwarted, or earthly treasures lost. These griefs dishonor Adonai because they place temporal concerns above eternal truth. The man who mourns chiefly because his reputation is tarnished or his wealth diminished has forgotten that all such things are but dust.…