Abundance

Written 03/07/2021

Loss is something we all, as humans, must face—whether we want to or not. To this day, I struggle to wrap my mind around it. Why must we lose?

For years, the fear of losing a loved one consumed me. Some nights I would cry for hours, already grieving people who were still alive. Some days I couldn’t even enjoy the beauty of a moment because all I could think about was how it would one day end—how this memory would be all that remained. I used to get lost in pain I hadn’t even experienced yet.

But over the past few months, I’ve been discovering who I am in Christ. As I’ve sought to build a deeper relationship with Him, I’ve begun to understand: we must lose in order to gain. This human life is temporary, but through Christ, we are promised an eternal one. To leave this earth is not the end—it is the doorway to the life God has prepared.

Dying in Christ is a victory. It’s like a strike against the enemy, because what seems like loss becomes eternal life in the arms of the Father. Just as Jesus’ death brought victory, though at the time it felt like devastation to those who loved Him, so too is our death not a defeat but a triumph.

Even now, “pre-grief” sometimes tries to creep in. When it does, I redirect my thoughts to the blessings right in front of me. Instead of dreading what’s inevitable, I choose to praise God for what I have today. Loss is real, and pain will come, but in Christ, I will not be undone by it.

Last night, I spoke with my sister about this. She said that knowing God changes how we experience loss. I agreed—though I added that while faith helps us endure, it doesn’t erase the pain. Even Jesus, who trusted His Father completely, still suffered deeply on the cross. Faith didn’t take away His pain; it gave Him the strength to endure it with purpose. Likewise, knowing the Lord doesn’t mean we won’t feel sorrow—it means we will remain steadfast in affliction, awaiting His deliverance and healing.

And though we lose, we also gain so much. God blesses us daily, often in ways we overlook because we’ve grown to expect them. Think about it: if we didn’t expect good things, we wouldn’t be disappointed when they didn’t happen. Instead, we would rejoice over every breath, every sunrise, every ordinary moment of grace.

I think back to my father, who lost both his father and his brother. At first glance, that looks like devastating loss. But by then, God had already given him a wife and children—new love and support to carry him through the hardest moments of his life. Did the loss hurt any less? No. But because of Christ’s comfort and the family God had built around him, he had the strength to endure without being consumed.

God’s blessings are abundant, but because we expect them, we often miss them. My father always says, “Our biggest disappointments are rooted in our expectations.” If we didn’t expect something, its absence wouldn’t sting as much. So instead of focusing on unmet expectations, I try to open my eyes to the blessings surrounding me—the ones I often take for granted.

Look around today. Notice the small gifts: the breath in your lungs, the love around you, the beauty in ordinary moments. Breathe it all in, and simply say: “Thank You, God.” Even in the valley, He is still good.

Psalm 118:1

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.