Nowadays, depression is becoming more and more common among believers. This has led people to ask: If you really believe in Jesus Christ, you shouldn't be sad or unhappy.
While we know for a fact that there is exceedingly abundant joy in the presence of Christ, can it really be possible for Christians to experience unhappiness?
Galatians 5:22-23 declares, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self- control; against such things there is no law."
When we walk in the Spirit of God, it becomes a given that joy and peace flow naturally through us, and that's a promise that God makes to all who experience sadness.
However, we all know for a fact that because we walk in a broken world, even as Christians there can be moments and areas in our life when we walk apart from the Spirit of God.
As Paul says in Romans 8:5, "For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit."
When we walk in the Holy Spirit, we will automatically and instantly walk in joy. But Paul also says earlier in Romans 7:18, "For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out."
Inwardly, we know that there is joy in Christ. But as we walk on this earth, we know that we also walk simultaneously in the death of sin that has placed its mark on our hearts as well. Yes, it is possible for Christians to be unhappy. That's why we should stop telling depressed and saddened Christians that they aren't being "Christian enough" if they experience sadness.
Sadness is not of God's design, but it is something that we must go through and something that we must overcome with the power of Christ here on this earth. Psalms 30:5 tells us, "For his anger is but for a moment, and his favour is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning."
Even Jesus experienced the blatant blow of sadness when faced with the death of a loved one (John 11:35). We all get sad. Whether or not we face sadness in trial is not the real issue. The real issue is what we do with our mourning and weeping. Does it cause us to turn away from God in anger or does it cause us to turn to God in trust more?
Jesus declares in John 16:33b, "In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world."
There will be tribulation on earth; sometimes it will cause joy and other times it will cause sadness. I hope for the day that we have more times that bring joy.
For the moment, we can turn to God in our sadness, believing that in Him we are strong, even through our weakness.
