Say Goodbye To Sadness

Sadness is a very interesting emotion because it does not always mean you are depressed or feel down. You could feel the blues when you hear news of a family member suffering from an illness or watching someone struggle to make it through life only to fail miserably time after time.

For example, my father has a heart for the elderly and respected them greatly for their life experiences and wisdom. Sometimes it sadness me to see the older generation being disrespected or made invisible by a more youthful and attractive generation. Some of these men and women had lived through the Great Depression or experienced the hardship resulting war (even fighting in it) and faced other life challenges in their time.

Some people are prone to feel sad much like my own melancholic personality. I believe there is a deep longing not so much for happiness but relief. Perhaps that is why many have contemplated suicide. Life for many is very difficult and pressing. In the end, there is a desire to have something to show for a life fully lived and to share it with others. Not to have a sense of hope that life is worth living is truly a sad state.

Often on the weekends my wife and I will take a long ride through the country. I share my mother's enjoyment of nature who takes hikes along mountain trails. Just the sight of leafy green trees and rolling hills lift my spirit. I feel the oppressive weight from a busy week drift away and a sense of light break through my cloudy soul. Nature the Scripture tells us declares the glory of God and perhaps only in this beautiful place can I say goodbye to sadness.

Psalms 43:5 says "Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again--my Savior and my God!" (NLT)

It's a good question to ask the Lord on occasion when you feel sad. I was surprised to learn that sadness may have nothing to do with me or my circumstances but simply experiencing the heart of God who breaks for those who are hurting. Sad people are not always depressed as I mentioned earlier but perhaps a very emphatic individual for a person who needs to know the God of hope.

Saying goodbye to sadness is when we can embrace this Scripture: Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame will darken their faces. (Psalms 34:5, NLT).

Whenever you are sad look upward not down and inward. Perhaps take a walk outside and look up at the beautiful sky laced with white billowy clouds (Psalms 123:1 and Psalms 121:1). Feel the warmth of the sun dance on your skin. Hear the birds sing. All of this speaks of God's care and His sovereign power to keep nature and you together. Better still the love of God will chase away any storm clouds of sadness with His glorious light.

Turn Your Eyes upon Jesus | Helen H. Lemmel
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.