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Psalm 125:2 NLT

'Just as the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people, both now and forever.'

When working on religious liberty issues many years ago, I regularly travelled to Seattle, a city on the west coast of the USA, surrounded by mountains and the Pacific Ocean. Seattle has a reputation as a rainy city. There were regularly mornings when the clouds hung low, and looking out I would never have known I was surrounded by mountains. Yet, the days, and there were many of them, when the sun shone, it was awe-inspiring to gaze upon the rugged peaks that rose into an azure sky.

In similar fashion, some days I arise with a song in my spirit and greet the day with joy. But there are also mornings when I sense the weight of sadness within and it’s hard to look beyond my own heavy mood. I still open the curtains and pray, yet from disciplined practice rather than delight.

‘Sad’ only came to mean unhappy from around 1300. Before that it meant either full, in the sense of being satiated as after a large meal, or steadfast and serious, as opposed to cheerful. Today, it is seen as a negative emotion. Yet, when sad, although it’s tough moving through my day, there is that sense of seriousness I carry. For me, it’s often reflecting upon the value of the necessary repeat routines that each day demands.

There is little any of us can do to change our life’s circumstances. Much stress is generated in our attempts to escape the realities and rigours of our life on the earth. We can focus on distractions, such as holidays, to ease our daily routine, yet we always return to familiar patterns. But just as the routine resumes, so God is always present and with us. It is in discovering the steadfastness of God that our greatest hope and opportunity lies in navigating sadness in all its forms.

QUESTION: How do you deal with sadness?

PRAYER: Lord, let your life and light shine into my heart this day!