Bible Blog

You wonder how you used to do it all: the presents, the Christmas parties, the holiday lights.

What once was a delight now feels like a chore. You find yourself looking at your calendar and dreading the jam-packed weekends, the get-togethers you can’t get out of.

It’s like all this forced happiness is having the opposite effect on me, you think to yourself. And then you wonder, Or maybe there’s something wrong with me.

The holiday cheer makes your sadness all the more heavy. You feel alone, defective, and just plain wrong.

But here’s what’s true: God’s Word never demands we feel some fairy-tale, twinkle-light happiness of Christmastime. God doesn’t tell us we need to feel constant joy and happiness during any time of year.

Instead, Christmas is a reminder of God’s love for us. During this season, we remember God sent Jesus to earth to be with us—not so we’ll be happy, but so we know we aren’t alone, we are loved, we are his.

If all the joyous expectations of the holidays have you feeling glum, take some time to read through Scripture with me. As we read God’s promises, remember that God loves you just the way you are—and that he doesn’t expect Hallmark movie levels of happiness from you this time of year.

God is with you when you’re sad and overwhelmed.

The righteous call to the Lᴏʀᴅ, and he listens;
    he rescues them from all their troubles.
The Lᴏʀᴅ is near to those who are discouraged;
    he saves those who have lost all hope.
Good people suffer many troubles,
    but the Lord saves them from them all;
the Lᴏʀᴅ preserves them completely;
    not one of their bones is broken. — Psalm 34:17-20, GNTD

You can call on God to help you.

The Lᴏʀᴅ himself will lead you and be with you. He will not fail you or abandon you, so do not lose courage or be afraid. —Deuteronomy 31:8, GNTD

Jesus came to earth for you—and he wants you no matter what. That will never change.

But God has shown us how much he loves us—it was while we were still sinners that Christ died for us! By his blood we are now put right with God; how much more, then, will we be saved by him from God's anger! We were God's enemies, but he made us his friends through the death of his Son. Now that we are God's friends, how much more will we be saved by Christ's life! But that is not all; we rejoice because of what God has done through our Lord Jesus Christ, who has now made us God's friends. — Romans 5:8-11, GNTD