Can you have joy and be sad? That’s a great question! And a complicated one! If you are struggling with sadness, I am very sorry. Yet you are trying to find joy amidst the pain and that’s a very good thing! Let’s talk about how you can still have joy even in times of sadness. You are not alone and there is hope for you. You can read more about joy here.
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In our deepest sorrow, we may feel alone and abandoned. We may feel that no one cares, and we are sure that none understand. We may have lost our income, our home, our friends, or even a loved one in death.
Where is the Joy in Sorrow?
Jesus said, “In this world, you will have tribulations, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” Do you see the great promise? He will notleave you nor forsake you. In ourdarkest days, we can believe by faith that God is in control, that he will not abandon us. Look for the light. Search for how to have joy when you are sad.
Allow others to help you.
So often, in sadness, we are tempted to go home and curl into a ball, isolate, and sob. Okay for a bit, but then we must clean ourselves up, feed our body, restore our soul, and seek the fellowship of others. Someone we can talk with, someone who understands, someone in whom we can safely confide.
Who Can I Talk to About Being Sad?
Lost a job? A bad report from the doctor? Your child in trouble? You may feel very sad. Share your sorrow, your load, with a safe friend.
“Oh, the comfort –
The inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person,
Having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words – but pouring them all right out just as they are-
Chaff and grain together –
Certain that a faithful hand will take and sift them –
Keep what is worth keeping –
And with a breath of kindness
Blow the rest away.”
Dinah Maria Murlock Craid
How Can I feel Joy Again?
Crying is normal when going through a period of sadness. Learning to cope with the sadness in order to gain back the joy is grief recovery – and it is work. Whatever is the cause of the sadness must be identified, examined, accepted, and given a name. Living in constant sadness takes its toll. The grief must be acknowledged and dealt with as the first step in how to get my joy back.
Professionals advise us to grieve early and grieve fully. Heal from the bottom in order to truly heal. Antidepressants were not designed to eradicate a universal and healthy emotion like sadness. Joy comes in the morning – after we have traversed the night of sadness.
Look for Joy
Accept the promise of God who came into the world so that we would have joy, forgiveness, comfort – because he gives us a future of no pain or sorrow, forgiven, loved by the Savior Jesus Christ – forever! If you are feeling no joy, search for the Savior: He is waiting for you.
Crying is normal when we are sad. If you feel a constant sadness and see nothing but gloom, take action, make appropriate changes. Perhaps you just need to turn off the news, go outside, breathe deeply, walk with purpose. Play with your dog, pet the horses, whistle a tune. You were never meant to carry the burden of the whole world.
Help Lift Someone Else’s Burden
Becoming involved in the care of someone else, bringing a little sunshine into a shut-in’s life, perhaps helping a single mom care for her children for a few hours, making cupcakes for the neighbors. Any act of lifting another’s burden will help remove the sadness from our own lives.
Time with God by reading Bible verses that apply to your reason for sadness brings comfort, increases faith, and produces joy. You won’t be able to manage sadness well without letting God comfort your inner spirit and renew your joy, activate your faith, enhance your hope. There is joy in living. There is joy in knowing Christ. There is joy in helping others. Find your joy. Share your joy. There is true joy even in our sorrows. To find the joy you can have in Christ, we invite you to watch the GREAT NEWS FOR YOU VIDEO on this page.
