How to Conquer the Christmas Blues When You're Heartbroken

I had lunch with a friend this week who confessed she was battling the Christmas blues. She was hemming and hawing about putting up her tree, and she hadn’t wrapped one Christmas present. This year has been hard for her family, and she just isn’t feeling very merry and bright. I reached across the table and grabbed her hand and let her know she is not alone.

The fact is this was not the first conversation I had with a friend this December where a woman I love shared she is heartbroken, and it seems hypocritical to pretend otherwise. And, I totally get it. Right now as I type this, I am looking at one of my favorite Christmas decorations:

If you kind of wish like you could take a vacation to the North Pole instead of celebrating Christmas with your crazy relatives who create a whole lot of drama, you are not alone.

Sometimes we lack the energy to be festive, and that does not make you and me a failure. That makes us human.

That’s the whole reason why we need a Savior. We can’t save ourselves from the heartache that sin has created. Only Jesus can rescue us from all the suffering and pain we are experiencing.

Maybe like me you are so tired of waiting for things to change. You’ve prayed. You’ve cried out to God. You’ve lain awake at night wrestling with the chaotic circumstances that keep coming, and you just can’t fix.

Friend, I see you. Jesus sees you. You are not alone in the heartache. Your tears and your desperation and your doubt are all welcome here.

I will confess I am ending this year with more questions than answers, and it’s hard. But over the last few days, I’ve been asking God to help me. I’ve been pouring over the pages of my Bible, and I found a friend whose story is showing me how to start conquering my Christmas blues. How she responded to her season of silently waiting for salvation is teaching me how to wait well.

how to conquer the Christmas blues

Faithfully show up at God’s house

Anna was a widow who had every reason to hide away from the world and lament how much she had lost, but she did not allow her grief to isolate her. She pressed in and persevered in drawing near not only to God, but also to the community of faith. The sanctuary of God is a special place where His Spirit can begin to whisper to our broken hearts and bring healing. (It’s not the same when you “tune in” from home. Trust me, I have hidden away at home, and I know the difference.)

“…She was deeply devoted to the Lord, constantly in the temple.” (Luke 2:37, VOICE)

Fervently Fast and pray for a breakthrough

Anna was a woman who didn’t waste her season of waiting. She fought on her knees. Prayer is the main work we do during our barren season of wondering “what God is up to.” God has promised to redeem, and we can call on Him to restore what the enemy has disrupted and destroyed.

“…day and night she worshiped God, fasting and praying.” (Luke 2:37b, GNT)

Fully Worship iNSTEAD of Giving way to WorrY

The enemy of our souls cannot paralyze us and keep us captive to fear and anxiety if we determine we will use our mouths to praise the Lord. No matter what you may be going through right now, God is with you. God has saved you from sin and death. In every season, we have a reason to give thanks. We can thank Him for the air that we breathe and that His mercies are new every morning. Praise helps lift us up out of the pit of despair.

“She, too, came up at that very moment and began praising and giving thanks to God…“ (Luke 2:38, AMP)

Fearlessly share Who Your only Source of Hope is

You painful season makes you a more real person who lost people are likely to listen to when you share how you are surviving. You may be struggling, but you are still standing. You are being held up by the One who suffered and died for you, and He will never leave you nor forsake you.

All around you, there are broken and confused people who don’t have the hope you have. They don’t know God is a Redeemer who will restore and make things right in the end. They don’t understand that Jesus came to save them from all the heartache. You can share you still believe He is the Prince of Peace and let them know deliverance is possible.

“…she continued spreading the word about Jesus to all those who shared her hope for the rescue of Jerusalem.” (Luke 2:38b, VOICE)

Need more help to overcome the Christmas blues? To help you get started, I’ve created a one-page printable with Scriptures you can use to remind yourself Your God is bigger than bad days. Sign up today as a member of the Wildfire Faith Community and grab a copy in our Faith Fuel Library.

10 Promises to Remind You God is Bigger than Bad Days Printable

Friend, our season of heartache is temporary. Heaven is our destiny, and one day there will be no more tears, no more heartache, and no more despair. One day, His Light will breakthrough and cast away all the darkness once and for all. Instead of combating the blues, we will stand before the throne of the King of Kings and worship with reckless abandon.

Until then, we can wait with a worshipful heart and give our grief to God as an offering. We can choose to trust our redemption will certainly come, and look ahead to our Day of deliverance with hope.