Ecclesiastes 3:1, 4 – For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: … a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance.

As many heard in the announcements of prayer requests on Sunday, or from personal interactions in the days since, we had to put our beloved dog, Copper, to sleep on Saturday. It was so very hard to let him go. He was such a part of the family for all of us. His eight years were, by far, the longest I had a pet in my life!

In times like these, hard times, sad times, it is absolutely ok to feel sad. The idea that “boys don’t cry” used to be emphasized in American culture. Maybe, along with me, you learned to keep a stiff upper lip; or to not show emotions believing it to be a sign of weakness. Those ideas were wrong then and they’re wrong now. God gave us hearts to feel, eyes that might cry, and the depth of emotion to experience. When we are sad, we should be sad.

Anyone who claims this life won’t have heartache must be living under a rock. Everyone I know has felt sorrow, not just joy; heartbreak, as much as love. I might not show my emotions as much as others, but I feel all the feels. That’s part of our human experience. God does promise joy, but in a broken world we will feel our share of pain. As we share life together, we can weep with those who weep as much as we rejoice with those who rejoice (Romans 12:15 paraphrase). We’ll be ok, but we’ll be sad for a while.