The Significance of Sadness

Hey guys! Quick new blog today on a topic that has come up again and again in my life, but I haven't heard many people talk about it.

I want to talk about the significance of sadness. I know, sounds kind of strange, right? But hear me out. Isn’t it so fascinating that God gave us emotions? Taking Anatomy, Biochemistry, and Nutrition courses has shown me JUST HOW INTRICATE the Lord made us and everything in the world. It’s actually insane.

When I think back to times in my life that were marked by sadness, there was always something beautiful waiting on the other side. It’s important to note that sometimes the beautiful thing isn’t something super extravagant. It may simply be having a better day the next day, enjoying a conversation with a friend, or having a good hair day. Other times the beautiful thing is more extravagant- like the time I won two national championships in one week, 2 state championships in one year, was named Valedictorian, and was selected to receive a full-ride scholarship. Honestly, all of these events are equally significant to me. The big moments in life come and go, but real joy is found in the small moments of everyday life.

In life, sometimes sadness doesn’t have an external cause. Sometimes everything seems right on the outside, but you still may feel a dull sense of sadness on the inside. When I feel like this, it’s almost like I’m grieving something I have never had. It’s like my heart is longing for perfection, and there’s a God-sized hole in my heart. That’s evidence that I was made for something more. Even though I’ve never experienced Heaven, it’s what I’m longing for. Ecclesiastes 3:11 expounds on this:

“He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” (NIV)

Here is some commentary on this verse from Got Questions:

“Seasons come and go, but does anything in this life truly satisfy? The answer in Ecclesiastes is, no, all is vanity (Ecclesiastes 1:2). However, through all the ups and downs and vicissitudes of life, we have a glimpse of stability—God has “set eternity in the human heart.” Life is but a vapor (James 4:14), but we know there is something past this life. We have a divinely implanted awareness that the soul lives forever. This world is not our home.”

The Holy Spirit often speaks to me through analogies of motherhood and marriage.For example, many of us single girls have experienced sadness because of our relationship status. How is it that we are able to long for something we have never had? This phenomenon can be attributed to the fact that marriage was designed to be a reflection of God and the church. Much like eternity was set in our hearts, so was perfect love. We love because God is love. “As the corporate Church, we are the Bride of Jesus, Who is the Groom.”

Isaiah 54:5 says, “For your Maker is your husband, the Lord of hosts is his name; and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth he is called.” 

The reason we long for companionship, and the reason why not even marriage is enough to satisfy us completely, is because we were made for something more- Heaven. Every good thing here on earth is but a broken picture of the perfection we will experience in Heaven one day as believers in Christ when we come face to face with our Divine Husband - our Heavenly Bridegroom.

A woman I know once said that feeling empty isn’t a negative thing because it inevitably leads to being filled up. You don’t have to feel guilty for feeling negative emotions. It’s part of being human. In fact, God says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3).

Hope this encourages you and offers you a perspective you may not have considered before!

Love,

Breeanna Reese Chavez