As our children miss a lost loved one during the holiday season, we can disciple them in the hope of the gospel and provide tangible ways for them to express their grief.

Though the melody of our grief is bitter, the underlying chord of the gospel reharmonizes it with hope.

In the darkness of depression, our Savior—the “dawn from on high”—stands ready to minister his light and life to our weary souls.

When sadness begins to lead us away from the safety and goodness of God’s presence instead of to it, that can be a red flag pointing us to seek deeper help.

Jesus can use the darkness of grief—even the loss of a precious child—to reveal deeper depths of his character and love for us.

Grief is a learned process, but we can trust the Savior who knows our sorrows and lean into the stabilizing rhythms of rest and refreshment he gives.

We can look to Christ—our joy and our strength—and receive his gifts of Scripture, song, and community to help us fight our battles against the winter blues.

Delighting in God’s good gifts even in suffering doesn’t negate our pain—it helps sustain and guide us through it.

Christ’s example of grief helps us make space for both joy and sorrow to live together in our hearts, even through the devastating loss of a child.

Sorrow can become a precious opportunity to point our children back to our Savior—the Man of Sorrows who makes broken things new.

Grief without the gospel leads to despair, but Christian grief holds onto hope. We know sin and death will one day end because we have the surety of Christ’s resurrection.

In the midst of dark storms like postpartum depression, a scary medical diagnosis, or shepherding a rebellious child, we can cling to these truths: Jesus understands us, he prays for us, and he will never fail or leave us.