I sit down to pray. I know I'm supposed to confess my sins.

Dear Lord,

• I gossiped. Those words, shared with friends, were not kind. I'm glad he didn't hear them.
  
• I'm angry at someone at church, so I avoid her. It would be too awkward to go to her and ask forgiveness. Besides, it is her fault.
  
• I used God's name in vain. I know it shows lack of respect but I hear it everywhere and it just came out. I didn't mean it.
  Please forgive me.

There, that's done, now I can ask God to bless me.

Matthew 5:4 (NIV) reads, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted."

Dictionary sources give these definitions.
Blessed : supremely favored or fortunate, blissfully happy or contented
Mourn: To feel or show great sadness; To show signs of grief for a death; To feel or express grief or sorrow

This verse is from the Sermon on the Mount. As with all Scripture, it is important to notice the context in which it appears. The context of this verse seems to say that the mourning is over sin and evil - especially over our own and over the failure of mankind to give proper glory to God. (Reformation Study Bible) It is not mourning over something that happened to me (a loss of loved one or loss of property) but over something that I did.

This mourning is not a simple "Jesus, I'm sorry about that. Please forgive me." It is understanding the true meaning and the repercussions of the sin and it is understanding that God hates it. Am I grieved over every careless and thoughtless word? Am I grieved over my willfulness, my self-indulgence, my anger and lack of love for those around me? God hates these infractions enough that he sent Jesus to die on the cross in order pay the price for that sin.

So, when I kneel before God to confess my sin, do spend enough time there to receive God's word on it? Am I quiet until I understand that those little sins, that seem insignificant, grieve the One who is perfect. Do I stay long enough to hear his voice? When I understand the meaning of sin and I mourn it, I receive forgiveness. The comfort comes from drawing closer to God. The blessing is knowing that I am sinful and unable to live up to God's standards of purity. This causes me to depend on Jesus, the one who led a perfect life, died on the cross, was buried for three days and was resurrected to sit at the right hand of God. Jesus is the one who can cover my guilt with his goodness and bring me close into the Kingdom of God. That is being blessed.