Christmas is supposed to be a time full of cheer, smiles, and love, right? Yet, during this time, many of us also feel sad about hurts, losses, and canceled dreams. We try to push the darkness away and refrain from verbalizing it because no one wants to feel unhappy around Christmas. But what if our instincts are backward? What if sadness belongs in our celebration of Christmas?
(There aren’t really negative emotions. Sadness is a helpful emotion that belongs in Christmas because it validates the significance of our losses and reveals the things that we love most. It is an expression of love. God’s grief over a broken creation was key to the incarnation of Jesus. May we also make room for sadness and let it guide us toward the greatest priorities in life).
