“The hap-happiest season of all” is not the happiest for all. While most of the country enters the last three months of the year with jolly and joy, some people drag through it with doldrums and in the dumps. The season for family hurts when you don’t have one. The season for loved ones, chatter of conversation, and warm hugs hurts when none of those things happen for you anymore. Brethren consider the widow, the divorced, the single, and the spiritual orphan. They are among us. The widowed and divorced may be experiencing their first holiday(s) without the loved one or their family. God made the human creature for a relationship. It can hurt when it isn’t there. 

Even in our age of ultra-connectedness, many face the heartache of Holiday Hurts. What can be done? 

We must appreciate that this time of the year is not great for everyone, and we must be more considerate of our brethren in these situations. Pray for them. Reach out to them. Let them know you care and that you love them. Don’t say, “I understand how you feel,” unless you have been in their shoes. Instead, say, “I can’t imagine what you are going through, but I love you.” Or “I’m here for you.” Or a simple text that says, “I’m thinking about you, and I love you.” 

We must focus through the hurt and rest in our God, Who never leaves or forsakes us. When the psalmists cried out to God, He was always there and always concerned. What a remarkable God we serve! 

The Holiday Hurts can be unbearable to those living through them. They feel like they can’t escape the pain or loneliness. Everywhere they go, they are reminded of it. Every conversation is a bitter reminder of it. For some, even when a crowd of people surrounds them, they still feel without and alone. 

Brethren, they are among us. Let’s help those with Holiday Hurts.