Those Little Tinges of Sadness

Have you ever noticed those little tinges of sadness? The strokes of gray that paint dark shadows around the edges of otherwise sunny scenes? Those melancholy moments that seem oddly out of place when others seem happy and we ought to be as well?

It’s Christmas day. Loved ones gather to feast on their favorite foods. Lights sparkle cheerfully from the Christmas tree. When the presents are unwrapped, you actually get what you wanted. Yet despite all the festivities, you feel as if a heavy blanket of snow has drifted over your soul.

It’s a wedding, and love songs fill the church building decorated with flowers and candles. Time-honored vows are repeated for all to hear. The bride and groom smile until their faces hurt. Everyone else smiles too, all dressed up in their tuxedoes and gowns. So why do quiet tears slide down the cheeks of the bride’s proud parents?

It’s your birthday. Family and friends send you funny cards about wrinkles and gray hair. Coworkers take you out to lunch at your favorite restaurant, complete with cake and ice cream for dessert. So why does loneliness descend like fog on a summer evening?

It’s graduation day. Years of study finally have reached their climax; thousands of dollars invested have accomplished their intended goal. Moms and dads in the crowd crane their necks to catch a glimpse of their son marching with his class as the band plays “Pomp and Circumstance.” It’s time to celebrate. Yet off in the corner a group of graduates hug and say “goodbye,” for an important chapter of life has come to an end and they rightly sense that their relationships will never be quite the same again.

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: . . . a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance” (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 4). It’s strange how these activities overlap. A hearty laugh can make us cry, and when we mourn we can still find reasons to smile.

Might those little tinges of sadness actually be a gift from God—a reality-check to remind us that life on earth is temporary and transitory? Dwelling in a world that’s passing away, it only makes sense to keep our focus on Heaven.

However festive, no Christmas celebration compares with the joy we will experience in the eternal presence of Christ. However elaborate, no wedding ceremony can match the fellowship we’ll enjoy at the wedding supper of the Lamb. No birthday party can measure up to the joy we’ll experience when time shall be no more. No human accomplishment—no promotion or graduation, no blockbuster business deal, no trophy or plaque, no amount of recognition or applause—compares with the privilege of simply being called a child of God. Our restlessness points us forward to a place of perfect rest, our loneliness to a place of undisturbed fellowship.

C. S. Lewis observed that during our journey on earth God refreshes us with some pleasant inns, but he never wants us to mistake them for home. We may not enjoy those little tinges of sadness, but we can learn from them. They keep us longing for home.