There is a lot to be sad about in our world right now. What have you lost as a result of the pandemic? What dreams dd you have that had to be put on hold? What struggles have you faced because of lost freedoms, a lost job or even a lost loved one? I pray that is not the case for you. If it is, I am so sorry. Words are not enough. 

You have lost a lot. There is no denying that. Dear One, the fact that God has allowed loss into your life does not mean that He doesn't love you. It means that He wants to pull you closer as you talk to Him about it and He wants to soothe the hurt and help you through it. Did God make it happen? No. But living in a sin-cursed world means that unhappy and hurtful things will happen here and we don't like that at all!

Somehow we have gotten the idea that being a Christian means we should always be happy. We skip over sadness as if it were a lack of faith to feel sad. Even non-Christians believe they should always be happy. It seems that happiness is everyone’s goal and we all struggle when we face obstacles and loss. Even kids struggle with it. 

In the animated film Inside Out, a little girl, Riley, struggles with her family’s move to another part of the country. The major characters in the story are her inner emotions, primarily Joy, Anger, Fear, Disgust and Sadness. All the emotions try to keep Joy in control. Sadness is often pushed off to the side and instructed to keep silent. But the resolution for Riley comes as Joy realizes that Riley needs Sadness. Riley’s breakthrough comes when Joy lets Sadness be in control and Riley is finally able to express her sadness at the loss of everything familiar. Acknowledging and working through her sadness brings an end to her internal chaos. 

In much the same way, you and I need to work through our own inner sadness. Joy does not always need to be in control. We don’t always need to be happy. God has given us ALL our emotions and He has a purpose for each one. Are you shoving Sadness off to the side and telling her to be silent?

Let me advocate for Sadness with some examples from Scripture. 

Jesus faced His own sadness. He mourned. He expressed his sadness to others and to His father. He wept when Lazarus was dead (John 11: 33-36) He grieved over Jerusalem (Matthew 23:37) He went to be alone when He heard that John the Baptist, His relative, had died, most likely to process His grief with His Father (Matthew 14:13). Isaiah 53 is a prophetic description of the Messiah which we recognize as Jesus. He was a “man of sorrows, acquainted with grief...” Jesus did not avoid sadness. He sets the example for us. He doesn’t skip sadness.

God values your sadness. In Psalm 56:8 the psalmist acknowledges God’s intimate awareness of his sorrow and how He values his sorrow by storing his tears in a bottle. “You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.”(‭‭Psalms‬ ‭56:8‬ ‭NLT) Can you imagine that? Your tears are so precious to God that He keeps them in a bottle! Not one of them is wasted. Don’t avoid your tears. It may be easier for you to express sorrow as anger or self-pity. But don’t avoid your tears. They are precious and should not be ignored.

When you lose something or someone you will feel sad. it is natural. What does your sadness indicate? That whatever or whomever you have lost was important to you. You had hopes and dreams related to that person or plan. There was a longing that will not be fulfilled because of your loss. 

The key to properly processing sadness is to feel it in God’s presence. Bring Him into your sadness. Share it with Him. Let Him help you with it. When you process that in God’s presence He brings Himself into that hurting place. He heals, restores, encourages, brings hope. Sad is not bad because it is an opportunity to experience God. 

Somehow we have learned, wrongly, that God only wants to hear our praises and good feelings. If we are angry or sad, we turn away from Him rather than share those feelings with Him. He knows how you are feeling and He wants you to bring that sadness, or even anger,  into His presence, to come to Him rather than to turn away. He wants to help you through it.

If I am angry at my husband, which does happen sometimes (GASP!), it doesn't mean that our relationship is over. It means that we have — really, I have — something to work through on my own and then with him. Being angry at God doesn’t mean your relationship with Him is over. It means that you have something to work through WITH Him, not away from Him. 

Your sadness may become someone else’s blessing. I know that doesn’t sound very appealing. But in 2 Corinthians 1: 3-4 Paul says, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” In your sadness, God wants to comfort you. He can’t bring comfort to what you ignore or push aside. In order to receive His comfort you and I need to bring our sadness, or any other emotion, into His presence. It’s when we bring it to Him that we can receive from Him. And what we receive from God becomes something to share. When God blesses us, it is always to make us a blessing.

You and I are part of a bigger plan. God’s plan for you is not just about your own satisfaction and happiness. It is about expanding His Kingdom and helping others experience His unending love. You bring Him your sadness. He gives you comfort. He brings another sad person into your life. You share the comfort you received from God. They receive from God through you and He is glorified. That’s not a bad result from your sadness. 

This is a sad time in our nation’s history and it amplifies all our own sadness. Throughout this pandemic I have often felt sad. As I have processed that with God I believe that some of that is His sadness. He cries with every family that loses a loved one, or walks through financial hardship. He mourns our lost dreams and expectations with us, from the lost wedding or graduation celebration to the lost vacation, even the lost family gathering or the lost freedoms. Whatever it is that strikes sadness in you, know that He cries with You and wants to give you comfort. He hasn’t abandoned you in your pain and loss. He is present and ready to comfort as you bring it to Him. 

God’s sadness extends beyond our losses. He grieves for a lost world that needs Him and doesn’t realize it. When you and I receive His comfort in our sadness, we can become part of bringing the lost to Him and easing His sadness. I want to be a part of that. 

Dear Friend, I am so sorry for your sadness. It is real and it is not trivial. Our emotions show us our places of need. Your need is real and should not be minimized. When you allow yourself to feel your feelings, then you recognize your needs and can bring them to God. He is the one who can meet your needs. He is the answer to your sadness. Give Sadness a chance to lead you to healing. Don’t skip it. Meet Him in it. 

Key thought: Sad is not bad when it leads me to Christ. 

A Scripture to consider:  “You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭56:8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” ‭‭2 Corinthians ‭1:3-4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

A YES Challenge: Take some time in God’s presence and allow Him to identify any unprocessed sadness in you. Go there with Him and allow Him to bring you His comfort. Consider journaling your feelings to help you process them, then bring it all to Him in prayer. 

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, I would rather not feel sad. Help me learn to value my tears as much as You do. Help me to bring them to You so that You can bring me comfort. Help me to believe that even in my sadness, You are near. Help to receive that comfort and to believe that You might even use this process to make me a blessing to someone else. It’s really hard to believe that right now, but I want to be all that You want me to be, to be as close to You as I can, and to bring You glory. Amen.