Statistics show that depression tends to spike over the holidays. I am not commenting on clinical depression but rather on the sadness that hangs over a person for a period of time. It is sometimes called the “holiday blues” when it is in a holiday season. Mental health experts identify causes, things like expectations (unrealistic), financial stress, grief, memories, loneliness, and social pressure, to name a few. Family gatherings, reunions with friends, work parties, it’s hard not to have expectations (good and not so good) for those interactions. Overspending or feeling like you’ve disappointed someone, the absence of a loved one, pressure to feel happy when you feel lonely, are further examples of the sadness that can set in. To be honest, I’ve felt all of these in varying degrees in the past.
Professional therapists have good coping strategies that can be helpful. I am not a professional therapist so please don’t confuse me with one, or my thoughts with their counsel. I am a pastor, so the perspective I offer is spiritual. If that doesn’t interest you, that’s fine, read no further.
Christmas and Thanksgiving have roots in the Christian faith. You are probably reading this after Christmas and Thanksgiving, but the sadness may still be lingering for you or a loved one.
Consider this, the Psalmist writes, “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting.” (Psalm 118:1, NASB95). These words or similar ones are scattered throughout the Psalms and even in a few other places in the Bible. The thankfulness prescribed isn’t for any of the things listed above turning out the way we want them to. This is an exhortation to see one’s blessings, and that ultimately, their source can be traced to the goodness of God. It doesn’t negate the reality of disappointment or hardship; it’s just a choice to focus on blessings.
Luke 2:10-11 records part of the message the angel gave the shepherds when the birth of Christ was announced. It went like this, “But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; 11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.’” (Luke 2:10—11). The joy declared is not for things going the way the shepherds might have desired. It was that a Savior had been born. Many things in life cloud the need for and value of having a Savior. All those things lose their weight when we think about the value of having a Savior.
Can anything be more encouraging than knowing that on judgment day, at the gate into eternity, the One who gave Himself as a substitutionary sacrifice, will declare that He paid for all your guilt before God? The position I’m pointing to is that of being in a right relationship with God. Do you have it? It’s received by faith and it can be yours. “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,” (Romans 5:1). Having, and remembering, that you are in good standing with God, is a perspective on circumstances that can turn sadness into hope and joy and peace. May it be yours as we come out of the season of “holiday blues.”
— Reflections appears regularly on the religion page. The column features a variety of local writers, coordinated through the Monroe Area Clergy Group.
