Last week, we acknowledged what many people feel but rarely say out loud: Christmas can be a season of grief. The empty seats at the table. The strained relationships. The memories that stir old wounds. The disappointments that rise to the surface when the world around us seems to be celebrating. Scripture never asks us to pretend those things don’t exist. In fact, it invites us to face them honestly before the Lord. But Scripture also refuses to let grief have the final word.

One of the clearest pictures of this is found in Psalm 42. The psalmist is brutally honest about his sorrow: “My tears have been my food day and night.” He names his discouragement, his inner turmoil, and even the spiritual confusion that often accompanies suffering. Yet in the middle of the darkness, he preaches to his own soul: “Why art thou cast down, O my soul? … Hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him.”

That’s the pattern of biblical lament. We come to God as we are—hurting, weary, confused—but we don’t stay there. Lament is the pathway through sorrow that leads us to renewed confidence in God. The psalm begins with tears, but it ends with trust. It begins with questions, but it ends with praise.

This Christmas, I want to encourage you to follow that same pattern. Don’t ignore your grief. Bring it honestly before the Lord—He already knows. But then fight, by faith, toward a posture of praise. Not because life is easy, but because God is faithful.

Here are a few practical ways to pursue faith-filled optimism in this season:

1. Preach the truth to your soul.

Like the psalmist, don’t let your emotions narrate the whole story. Speak God’s promises back to your own heart—out loud if you need to. Remind yourself of who God is and what He has already done.

2. Practice gratitude intentionally.

Gratitude doesn’t erase grief, but it reframes it. Each morning, write down three evidences of God’s kindness. Small, ordinary, unnoticed blessings count.

3. Anchor your hope in Christ’s coming.

Advent reminds us that light breaks into darkness. Christ did come. Christ is with us. And Christ will come again. Let that hope steady you when your emotions fluctuate.

4. Worship even when you don’t feel like it.

Sometimes praise must be chosen before it is felt. Sing the songs. Read the Scriptures. Sit under the Word. These habits pull your heart toward joy even on heavy days.

5. Invite someone into your struggle.

Optimism grows in community. Share your burdens with a trusted believer and let them point you back to the Lord.

Grief is real—but so is the God who meets us in it. And because He is faithful, we can say with the psalmist: “I shall yet praise Him.” This Christmas, fight for that kind of optimism—not naïve, not shallow, but rooted in the unshakeable goodness of God.