“Lament” is not a word we use often. Laments, raw expressions of suffering, make up one third of the Psalms. In Hebrew, the book of Lamentations is called Eikhah, meaning “How?” That’s a good way to begin a lament (“How do I persevere in faith with a broken heart?” “How will you provide for us?” “How can I love this difficult person?”). Lamenting is rooted in faith – a belief that God is in control even in this. Its assumption is that He is doing something unseen, redemptively working it out.


The opposite response to difficult waiting is “kvetching,” a Yiddish word for endless complaining. Now that’s something familiar to most of us! Complaining comes out of unbelief. It views the situation as all-consuming, suffering as self-atoning, and God as unloving. The complainer is looking to someone other than God for relief.


This Christmas season ought to be characterized by joy. Yet sometimes sorrow prevails. How can we make it through? We lament to One who understands – Jesus, the Man of Sorrows. Seek His joy!