Is It Wrong for Christians to Feel Sad or Despair?

About this episode

The episode discusses the validity of feeling sad or despairing as a Christian and explores what Scripture says about emotions.

Some Christians have heard that if you’re feeling sad, discouraged, or overwhelmed, you must be doing something wrong—that “real” faith means always feeling joyful and victorious. But what if that’s not just unhelpful… but completely untrue? In this , I answer a heartfelt question about sadness and whether feeling low is somehow unspiritual. We take a look at what Scripture actually says—and it’s far more comforting than the cliches people often throw around. Jesus wept. Paul despaired of life. David poured out his heart in the Psalms. You’re in good company. If you’ve ever felt like your emotions disqualify you from being a “strong” Christian, I think you’ll find real hope—and maybe even a deep breath of relief—in what we talk about here. We hope you enjoyed this episode. Since we're a nonprofit organization, episodes like these are only made possible by friends like you. You can help us continue sharing God's message of grace with the world here: https://andrewfarley.org/donate/ Connect with Dr. Andrew Farley here: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrAndrewFarley Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drandrewfarley Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrAndrewFarley TikTok…

People in this episode

Host: Andrew Farley

Topics covered

• sadness
• Christianity
• faith
• emotions
• Scripture
• hope

Keywords

• sadness
• despair
• Christian faith
• emotions
• Scripture
• hope
• joy

More episodes of Good Call with Andrew Farley

• Offer Our Bodies As "Living Sacrifices"? · June 11, 2026 · 9 min
• How Do I Know I'm Praying Right? · June 4, 2026 · 7 min
• Do Both Jesus and Sin Live in Me? · May 28, 2026 · 10 min
• No Condemnation... If We Walk Rightly? · May 21, 2026 · 9 min
• What is Revelation Really About? · May 14, 2026 · 11 min
• How Can I Know God's Will for My Life? · May 7, 2026 · 11 min