It’s one of those nights again. We all have them––it’s 2 a.m., yet you lie awake with your scattered thoughts as insomnia steadily creeps its way into your night.

First, you begin analyzing your day in its entirety, followed by an analyzation of how you wish you had carried out specific details of your day differently, leading to you essentially questioning how life could have been if such circumstances had played out in a different way.

As the time gets later, your thoughts get deeper.

And, many times, such late-night thoughts can cultivate sadness.

Now, whether or not this scenario frequently pertains to you, all of us are bound to develop deep feelings of sadness throughout our lives, and quite often it seems that we feel shame for our sadness. This shame leads us to build up barriers and, essentially, strive to mask the dejection we experience.

Society stealthily displays a facade of “perfect” joy achieved through various means of life. Let me give you an example of what I mean by this: celebrity figures, or popular people, showcase flawless pictures on Instagram, portraying their lives as a series of picturesque moments in exquisite locations.

Subsequently, others who view such pictures are led to believe that these sought-after individuals lead lives of perfection, untouched by sadness. How does society expect that to make others feel?

However, the truth it that we all deal with sadness… and there’s nothing to be ashamed about that. There’s no sense in trying to disguise these feelings when we all know good and well that we all go through it! So why does society have the upper hand in this situation?

Instead of feeling defeated by your sadness, recognize that this is just a natural human feeling that is often involuntary, despite what society is trying to tell you. Do not feel like you are in a worse place compared to others just because sadness kept you up last night. God allows sadness to reside in the world around us in order for us all to recognize our need to cling to Him in order to discover His indescribable joy!

Rather than building up walls, build relationships! Recognize your sadness, allow yourself to be human, and use such feelings to connect with others when they also feel defeated by their emotions. Because as much as we try to hide it, sadness is a normal part of each and every ones of our lives.

Sadness is not a sin; therefore, let’s all make it a goal to no longer treat it like one.