When Grief and Joy Collide
My phone buzzed with text messages this past weekend. You know, the usual ones of “Hey, how you doing?”, sprinkled with a few promotional ones and the annoying spam kind (anyone else tired of the unpaid tolls text?) But two texts changed the whole weekend.
The first was the kind you never want to get. A dear sister-friend had passed away. The weight of that loss hit hard. I scrolled through old messages she had sent, all filled with encouragement and hope. But the grief was deep, real, and felt inescapable.
Then came the second text - a friend had given birth to a beautiful, healthy baby. The news felt almost jarring against the sadness I was still carrying. How could these two emotions—devastating sorrow and overwhelming joy—exist at the same time?
But as I wrestled with these emotions, I was reminded that the Bible doesn’t separate grief and joy the way we often try to. Instead, it shows us that they often walk hand in hand.
Jesus Himself experienced this tension. He wept at the death of His friend Lazarus (John 11:35), even though He knew resurrection was coming. And as He faced the cross, He endured it “for the joy set before Him” (Hebrews 12:2). He carried sorrow and joy in the same breath.
So what do we do when life hands us both? When we’re mourning one moment and celebrating the next?
We let grief be grief. Losing my friend was painful, and pretending otherwise wouldn’t have honored the love I had for them. Psalm 34:18 says, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” God wasn’t asking me to rush through my sorrow—He was sitting in it with me.
But we also let joy be joy. Looking at a picture of my friend’s newborn baby, I felt the sweetness of God’s goodness, even in the middle of my pain. It didn’t erase my grief, but it reminded me that loss doesn’t get the final word. Revelation 21:4 promises that one day, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain.”
That’s the hope we cling to. Until then, we live in the in-between—a world where loss and new life, sorrow and laughter, can all exist together. And somehow, in the mystery of it all, God is present in both.
So if you’re feeling that tension today, know this: it’s okay. You don’t have to choose between grief and joy. There’s space for both, and more importantly, there’s a God who walks with you through it all.
And that, my friend, is something worth holding onto.
SAVE ON PINTEREST!
Want to Stay in the Loop Without the Overwhelm?
If you’re looking for a way to stay updated on current events without the anxiety that often comes with the news, check out The Pour Over. It’s a free daily newsletter that delivers the biggest headlines paired with brief Christian perspectives to help you stay informed while keeping your focus on Christ. You can sign up here: The Pour Over.
Regina is a writer, homeschooling mom, and owner of a comfort food catering business. A contributor to several publications, she is also an advocate for young adults with developmental disabilities and serves on the Compel Pro volunteer leadership team. Living in Ohio with her family, she designs Squarespace websites for fellow creatives and spends her free time cheering her sons from the sidelines or sipping tea while chatting about God’s goodness with women.
