WHEN LIFE AS WE KNOW IT FALLS APART
Susan Murray
Today’s Scripture: “The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of distress; he knows those who take refuge in him.” Nahum 1:7, CSB
Theme: Jesus is our hope when we experience loss in life.
WHO I AM
Usually, the second question when meeting someone new is to ask; “What do you do?” Our activities, including work and pleasure, are strongly tied to our identity and purpose. So, when we lose something, like Sam did (the use of her legs), our world can spiral out of control. In the movie Penguin Bloom, Sam was physically active: surfing, hiking, traveling, and playing with her kids. She was a great mom and had a wonderful family. Life was good...until it wasn’t. An accident, causing paraplegia, took from her the many things she enjoyed, causing distress at being limited to a wheelchair.
SUFFERING
Loss causes suffering, bringing with it a rollercoaster of understandable emotions: confusion, self-pity, disbelief, anger, depression, powerlessness, or shame. Life can feel dark and out of control. Sam, once an independent person, is not so independent now and she doesn't like needing help. Sam seems to try to gain some sense of control by shutting the curtains to match the darkness of her soul. Did the light feel like a lie? She chose to knock over a jar of honey, which falls and breaks, just like what happened to her. This little demonstration of power didn’t help. She breaks all the picture frames. Was the reminder of who she was before the accident just too painful? We can see and feel her suffering.
A sense of being cursed whispers in her mind. Maybe you also believe that you are being punished for some horrendous sin, but life is not always that linear. Yes, suffering came into the world because of sin, so in earth’s fallen state, suffering and pain can’t be avoided, no matter how we try to escape it. Live long enough and you will suffer significant losses. Most likely you will feel many of the emotions that Sam felt. Being a Christian is not immunity from loss and the difficult emotions that come with it.
HOPE
After a while, Sam began to accept her new reality when she looked away from herself and began to care for Penguin, an Australian magpie, who was smaller and in need. It gave her a purpose and opened the door to living again, allowing her to receive help and enjoy the good things she still had in this life. She regained hope that life could be good again, even with her limitations.
ETERNAL HOPE
Hope is not having a Pollyanna attitude toward loss or glibly quoting Romans 8:28 that “everything will work out for good.” Hope wrestles with God, refusing to give in to denial, stoicism, or bitterness. We can honestly lament to God, taking refuge in Him by “look[ing] not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen” (2 Corinthians 4:18, ESV). Our eyes are so much on the seen world that God in His infinite wisdom will sometimes allow suffering to get our attention, to get us to look for the unseen which is much more valuable. He uses loss and suffering to draw us to Himself. In Him is True Life and that to the fullest, although it may not be in the way you want it. Yet it is His good plan for your eternal good.
Make It Personal: What have you lost? How did you respond? Today, look to Jesus, bringing to Him all your feelings and questions. He is full of mercy and grace and will struggle alongside you to invite you into His comfort. Maybe you have yet to suffer much loss, so prepare by drawing closer to Jesus in prayer and praise now. Memorize Scripture that the Holy Spirit can use to nudge you toward Him when suffering does come. With Him, your eternal “unseen” future is secure in His kingdom of love and peace. Take time to ponder the eternal life that Jesus bought for you through His loss and suffering because He cares for you. Find joy in Him and with Him, even in your loss. Remember that when eternity comes, all loss will be undone and you will be fully restored. Now that’s hope!
Pray: Good Father, life is just too hard and painful. Help me to see You and draw near to You, finding strength to live each day moment by moment. Amen
Read: John 14:1-3, 25-27; Job 13:15, 19:25; Psalms 23:4, 46:1
Weekly Memory Verse: “Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.” Psalm 62:8, NIV