For His anger is but for a moment,
His favor is for life;
Weeping may endure for a night,
But joy comes in the morning. (Psalm 30:5 NKJV

My heart ached desperately, and no matter how hard I tried, I could not hold back my tears. My eighteen-year-old daughter had moved out of our home and our lives, breaking off all communication just a month earlier.

One Sunday night at church, I listened intently as the preacher spoke on Psalm thirty, and it felt as though God spoke directly to my heart. I realized that life must go on and I couldn’t continue weeping every day. I knew I needed to move forward without her.

I struggled with clinical depression from that time on, but I have found joy again. The holidays were always difficult, but God wrapped me in His all-sufficient grace. I could always find joy in something when I was willing to try.

We must navigate trials in this life, and some bring great sorrow. The important thing is that we don’t remain in a state of mourning. God doesn’t want that for us.

God is sovereign, and He allows sorrowful circumstances to enter our lives. He has a purpose for these hard seasons, even if we may never understand it.

God is in control, and He works all things together for good to those who love Him, according to His purpose (Rom. 8:28). We must trust God’s plan, even when we don’t understand our circumstances.

During your most grievous seasons, you will weep, but joy will return. Joy isn’t the absence of sorrow, but the presence of God in the midst of it. For eight years, my daughter and I remained separated, but one day I received a text message, and then a phone call. She is still out in the world, but she is part of my world too.

What causes you to weep? Do you struggle during the holidays because someone you love isn’t seated at your table? God gives us grace and comfort because, as our Father, He understands our circumstances.

Over the holiday season, what brings a smile to your lips? Could it also bring joy to your heart? Allow yourself the grace to cry occasionally. Don’t be hard on yourself when you have those days, but make a point to find joy again every day. You may find it in prayer or as you read your Bible. Perhaps you find it with friends or in nature. Weeping lasts only for a season, but you will find joy again.

Heavenly Father, thank You for the joy You give me and the joy of Christmas. When Jesus came to this world, He truly did bring joy to the world, and I want to abide in that joy today. Amen.