The Value of Sadness

Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10

I recently sat in on a children’s class in which the teacher asked if sadness is a good thing or a bad thing. Interesting question, don’t you think? Most of us would say it’s bad, but she said it is neither good nor bad. She pointed out that sadness is often prompted by our love for people. We might be sad if we want to help but can’t, for example. But the love is a good thing. Sadness is just part of life and part of love.

Sorrow can serve a positive purpose. For example, mourning reminds us we are mortal; it encourages us to “number our days.” Sadness can bring about wisdom and emotional healing. It can make us better, more compassionate people (Ecclesiastes 7:2-4; Psalm 90:12; Hebrews 5:2).

..by a sad countenance the heart is made better. Ecclesiastes 7:3b

In the Pixar movie Inside Out, the value of Sadness is finally understood when Joy realizes that Sadness is able to draw loved ones to come and help.

But of course sadness does not always produce a good result.

Notice what made a young man sad in Mark chapter 10.

“Now as [Jesus] was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, ‘Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?’” (10:17). Jesus reminded him of the law, and the man said he had kept it from his youth up. Jesus said he lacked one thing:

“Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.” (10:21b)

But verse 22 tells us the man “was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.”

..the sorrow of the world produces death.. 2 Corinthians 7:10

In Nehemiah 8 we find some other people who were made sad by God’s commands, but notice an important difference.

After seventy years of captivity in Babylon, many Israelites returned to Jerusalem, rebuilt the wall and the temple, and began to restore proper worship. During the captivity, both the teaching and the observance of the law had been severely limited. When these returnees heard God’s word read aloud, some of them perhaps hearing it for the first time, there was sadness at the realization of all the things they had not been doing according to the law.

But notice the instructions given to the people in Nehemiah 8:9: “This day is holy to the LORD your God; do not mourn nor weep.” And in verse 10, “then he said to them, ‘Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our LORD. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.’”

..godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation.. 2 Corinthians 7:10

Have you ever read a command in God’s word and felt sad? If we’re honest, most of us probably have. Not everything that God asks of us is something we want to do. And some things that we want to do are forbidden.

If I look into God’s word and see that my life does not align with it, I should feel some sadness. Whether that sadness can serve a good purpose is up to me. Will I rebuild according to God’s word, like the Israelites who returned from captivity? Or will I be unwilling to change, like the rich man in Mark 10?

What makes you sad? Unkind words? Thoughts of having to return to work as a vacation draws to a close? Stories of war in far-off places? Regrets over the past?

Perhaps you are experiencing sadness because you love someone but you know you’ve disappointed them. Perhaps that someone is the Lord.

No one wants to be sad, but sadness is not intrinsically bad. It serves some good purposes. Godly sorry is particularly valuable because it leads to repentance, and that leads to peace with God. Thankfully, when we sorrow in a godly way, we can still say, “The joy of the Lord is [our] strength!”

Dear God, thank You for the guidance of Your holy scriptures. I pray that I will have godly sorrow that will lead me to repent of anything in my life that is not aligned with Your word and Your will. May I never allow any kind of sadness to cause me to despair, for You are my comfort and my hope, my joy and my strength! In Jesus’s name, Amen.

by Christie Cole Atkins