When Holidays Hurt: Finding Hidden Hope Amid Pain and Loss

Find fullness of joy during the holidays—especially for the brokenhearted.

Divorce. Financial stress. Chronic illness. Losing a loved one. Experiencing any of these situations during the year is already difficult. But the holiday season, once joyful and happy, can heighten this pain even more. Author Bo Stern has spent the past two Christmases struggling to connect with the joy of the season. As she has watched her husband, Steve, struggle with terminal ALS, Bo has quietly felt her spirit for the season fade—and has noticed countless others suffering the same way.

Through stories and scriptures, Bo offers readers a way to redeem what can often become painful days—Thanksgiving, Christmas, birthdays and anniversaries, milestones such as weddings and graduations, and more. At the end of each devotion, Bo gently guides readers to engage with these holidays and special occasions in different ways that offer a tangible outlet for healing. At the heart of this message is that Christ came—to bring hope and healing to those who are hurting.

“Jesus didn’t come to cheer us up. He came into the shadowlands we call home to set us free. He came to untangle us from the despair that wraps itself around our joy and peace and purpose. It seems, then, that hopelessness is the very first qualification for receiving the bright hope of Christ’s coming. Perhaps you are exactly where you need to be to experience the miracle after all…”

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