There’s a lot of pressure to be joyful during this season. And sometimes, when you are grieving, joy is difficult to rustle up on demand.

Grief, of course, usually comes as a result of loss. It could be that someone dear has died, or a relationship has ended, leaving a very large hole in your heart and life. But it can also be the result of lost opportunities or something you’ve done you shouldn’t have done, or that something or someone you want very much isn’t yours. You may be grieving while you’re regretting, longing or waiting and waiting.  And make no mistake, grieving while you’re trying your best to celebrate is hard.

If this is you (and it’s all of us at one time or another), I have a proposition for you: consider unwrapping the gifts of grief this Christmas.

I know. Your response to the gifts of grief might initially be a hard “no,” while you hand the box back to God and say, “Oh you shouldn’t have. No, REALLY, you shouldn’t have.”

But this Christmas, it’s possible to experience joy—albeit maybe in a different form—if we are willing to accept a few presents that our distress may try to give us. Listen in to find out what those are…

NOTES:

Goff, Bob and Kimberly Stuart. “From the Archives: Kate Bowler,” The Writing Room Podcast, August 30, 2023.
Kennedy, Alexandra. “Four Surprising Gifts of Grief.” Thrive Global, March 9, 2020. https://community.thriveglobal.com/four-surprising-gifts-of-grief/
Menning, Barbara Eck. Infertility: A Guide for the Childless Couple. Simon and Schuster, 1988.