Loss

Driving out of the supermarket parking lot, I looked at my watch to see what time it was.  

It wasn't on my wrist! 

My heart fell. 

I immediately prayed, "God, please help me find my watch." 

I had no idea when I had last saw it.

 

I pulled over into the McDonald's parking lot, got out of my car and started going through my bags of groceries to see if it had fallen into one of them. 

Nothing!

 

Thinking I would go back to the supermarket to give them a description of my watch

in case someone found it and turned it in, I got back in the car.

 

A voice said, "Check your purse." 

I did and there it was!! 

Thank you, Lord!

 

What feelings of relief and gratefulness came over me!

 

My watch is not a real expensive one, but I absolutely love it.  It's actual value is much less than the value I put on it.  Just about a month ago, I sent it back to the seller to have the watchband fixed rather than buy a new one; I love it that much. 

 

The way I felt when I discovered the watch missing caused me to start thinking about loss.

 

Loss -

to be unable to find something/someone we treasure;

to be unable to maintain or keep something/someone we love dearly;

to be deprived of something/someone we strongly desire;

to fail to win something/someone we've always dreamt about or 

to suffer the loss of something/someone we don't want to live without 

creates in us such feelings of helplessness and hopelessness.

 

To experience a loss of any kind is not something we want to go through.

Most of us do not deal very well with loss.

 

Our hearts have a hard time accepting loss.

Sometimes we don't realize just how much we value something/someone until we experience

the loss of that something/someone.

 

Unfortunately, that seems to be the "nature of the beast."

 

We don't miss something/someone that is always available. 

But take it away, and it becomes our greatest desire.

 

God will often use the loss we experience to draw us closer to Himself.

 

I remember when my husband died, I said to the Lord, "I don't think I can live without him."

The Lord immediately responded, "The only one you can't live without is me."

 

What an eye-opener that was to me and also a great comfort.  It caused me to realize that as long as I had the Lord's presence in my life and heart, I would be okay.

 

When we experience a loss of any kind, we need to come to the place where we can accept the loss and trust Him in and through it.

 

After my husband died, I had my wedding band melted down and made into a necklace and earrings that I designed.  I cherish those pieces of jewelry because of the sentimental value of them.
 

I was wearing them one day when I set out to run errands.  I went to the bank, the post office, the local mall where I tried on some clothes, the supermarket to buy groceries and to a Jazzercise class.  When I arrived back home, I happened to touch my ear and discovered one of my earrings was missing.  I was absolutely devastated.  I had no clue where to even begin looking because I had covered so much ground that day.  I started to think about my time at the mall when I tried on some sweaters.  Grasping at straws, I called that store and explained the situation.  The salesclerk told me she would alert the cleaning crew and they would call me if they found it.

 

There was nothing more I could do, but pray.  And pray I did.  I begged and pleaded with God.  I finally got to the place in prayer when I said to the Lord, "I give it up, Lord.  I release it to you.  You and only you know where it is.  It means a great deal to me, but it is just a thing, so I let it go and ask that you give me your peace."

 

A few minutes after 9:00, my phone rang. 

They found my earring in the dressing room!

 

I sat right down and cried.

I was so humbled by the goodness of God.

He didn't have to do that for me, but He did.

What a merciful, gracious God we serve.

 

But, I have not always "found" all things that I have lost. 

Some things just can't be "found."

I "lost" my husband, but I cannot "find" him.

 

In this loss and other losses of a similar nature, we need to trust God that we can live without and move on.  We have to trust that He knows best.  He knows the end from the beginning and He will meet us right at the place of loss; that place of incredible pain.

He understands and He empathizes.

 

What is your loss?

 

Is it, like me, your spouse?

Is it your health?

Your job?

A treasured possession?

A dream?

A relationship?

A marriage?

Your son or daughter?

 

Whatever your loss, God knows all about it.

If He hasn't "returned" it to you, it's because He knows the bigger picture and you don't.

 

Trust Him.

Believe that He is always good and you are always loved.

Even in the midst of loss.

Especially in the midst of loss.

 

May He be "found" of you today.