My children and their spouses started a new tradition in recent years. They put all their names in an app and the app divvies up the names. Then, they buy for only one other, but no one knows who has who. Of course, I hear them talk, and using the process of elimination, it’s pretty easy to know who has who. The fun part is seeing them exchange their gifts with one another. There is something wonderful about exchanging gifts. However, it is pretty extraordinary to do so with the Lord. Of course, when we exchange gifts with God, He will always give the grandeur gift, and that’s a good thing.
I enjoy the holidays, but there is little doubt that they magnify our sorrows and joys. This is true for all of us. I have fond memories of this time of year and enjoy making new ones. However, this means, for instance, that the loss of loved ones can be challenging. My Mom and Dad have both passed. They worked hard to make the Christmas season special for our family growing up and continued to do so for my wife, our children, and me. I really miss them, but especially this time of the year. One of my grandkids will do something, and I think Mom and Dad would get a kick out of that. I miss them, and yes, it brings sorrow, but I am thankful we had a relationship, shared a love, which is counted worthy of missing.
The truth is that sorrow is either the direct or indirect result of sin since we live in a fallen world, and sin is a normal part of life. Psalm 90:10 declares, “The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away.” Not all sadness is caused by sin we commit. Sometimes it’s just living in a sin-cursed world where death and hurt exist alongside those who cause hurt. A simple truth is that on this side of paradise, we all will deal with sorrow. Since we all will deal with sorrow, how we deal with it is a big deal.
How do we properly deal with sorrow? We bring our sorrow to the Lord and embrace His filling us with joy. God does a remarkable work in us when we acknowledge our sorrows, bringing them to Him. A gift exchange of sorts takes place. His joy for our sorrow. Now that’s a gift.
It’s important to remember that Christ is no stranger to grief and sorrow (see: Isa 53:3-4). Think about it. God’s own Son, Jesus Christ, experienced grief and sorrow. Our Lord knows what it feels like to be rejected, hurt, alone. What is most amazing is that though He was filled with grief and sorrow, they were not His but ours. He bore them for us. Jesus Christ can identify with our grief and sorrow, but because of His salvific work for us is also the only one who can genuinely offer to exchange our sorrow for His joy. For instance, in Isaiah 61, we read of the Messiah announcing everlasting joy. Christ came, in part, to replace our sorrow with joy. We are offered a foretaste of His salvific work today and will experience complete fulfillment when we spend eternity with Him in paradise. Again, remember, when you give God your grief, He gives you His joy.
How does God exchange our sorrow for His joy? In part, God comforts us now by reminding us that He has walked through grief and sorrow and is willing to walk through it with us. But there is more. The good news is that there will be a day when sorrow will be no more. In Revelation 21:4, which addresses paradise, we read, “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” So, in part, God comforts us today by reminding us that when we enter into paradise, dwelling unhindered with Him, He will tenderly remove all sorrow and pain just as He promised. Further, He will make all things new. He will do this because His promises are true and faithful.
The Lord turns our sorrow to joy through His finished work on the cross. When Jesus died on the cross for our sins and was resurrected for our salvation, He conquered death and made it possible for us to experience life with Him from today into eternity. The Lord turns our sorrow to joy when we possess the life that comes from receiving Him as Savior of our lives. The finished work of Christ does not automatically make someone right with God. We must receive Him as Savior and Lord. This is more than an intellectual acknowledgment that He is Savior and Lord. We must believe in Him for our salvation and walk with Him (not always perfectly, but following the same). The Lord turns our sorrow into joy by inviting us to take an eternal perspective. We must trust that He will comfort us today and completely heal our brokenness in the future. In Christ, we are healed, being healed, and will one day be healed entirely. Simply put, the risen Lord will turn our sorrow into lasting joy as we look to Him.
No doubt, on this side of paradise, we will experience sorrow. But, Jesus assures His followers that even amidst difficulty and sorrow, we can have joy because He has overcome the world through His death and resurrection and will return to take us to a place where all sorrow will cease, and joy will be constant (see: John 16:33). In fact, Christ triumphant is at the heart of one of our more popular Christmas songs. “Joy to the World” has been recorded and has more versions than perhaps any other Christmas song. It’s unique because this “Christmas” song is not actually speaking of the Lord’s birth, but His Second Coming when all who receive Him as Savior and Lord will share in His ultimate victory and sorrow will be nor more, only eternal joy. Now that’s a gift to cherish today and bring joy-filled hope for the future. Soli Deo Gloria (Glory to God Alone)!