Have you experienced ‘loss’ before? I’d be shocked if the answer is no. No one on this earth comes out unscathed. None of us are strangers to loss.
It could be emotional or physical trauma you experienced: A messy break-up, a friend who betrays your trust, a global pandemic, a scary disaster, losing the lifestyle you were accustomed to… these things greatly impact the lens through which we view the world.
My encouragement is: Whether the scars are old or fresh, do not filter out the good things in your life. We are creatures of habit – as we take a critical look at our lives, the instinct is to look at the negatives and to filter everything else out. This is how our sinful flesh would eat at our gratitude.
That’s where ‘rest’ comes in: Rest helps us to regain our strength; It replenishes us and revitalizes our shape of thinking. It makes sense physically and spiritually.
Our brains need rest after experiencing a traumatic event/injury.
Our souls require rest when we suffer an experience of loss
When we take the time to rest, we are avoiding the lie that we don’t have time to take care of ourselves. When we take the time to rest in God’s Word, we are avoiding the lie that we should move on and live the rest of our lives in a state of unrest, fear and discontentment.
Fellow members of God’s love, do not filter out the overwhelming positive of your life. You will find by resting in God’s Word that He has shared in your grief and made you alive through Jesus, though you were dead in your sins. Through faith in Jesus, you will find rest from your sins and your failures and your losses. This rest will replenish your gratitude. It will make you feel whole again. No loss can ever take away the joy of your salvation through Jesus. If you are grieving right now, I invite you to pray this prayer:
God, I am suffering the pain of loss right now. I confess that I have been ungrateful for all the good you have seen to bless me with. I want to heal. Help me to take joy in the knowledge that you have rescued me from my sin; give me conviction that you have given me true rest from my losses and failures through your forgiveness and love. As I continue to navigate through all this, give me the strength to bear my pain; give me healing and support from those around me. Amen.