When Loss is More

     I didn't set out looking for loss. But as sure as the sun rises, it found me.

     The loss of a loved one, the loss of childhood innocence, the loss of a job, a relationship, a dream, a promotion... There seems to be no end to the loss this world brings. And there's no neutral territory, no middle of the road, no safety zone. Loss affects us all.

     And yet...

     Loss can be harder than we think...and more beautiful than we could ever imagine. Not the loss itself, but what comes from it. The collateral beauty. The treasure unearthed from the rubble left behind in the aftermath.

     Loss can leave you looking for an answer to a question you never wished to ask. But it's not so much about having the answer as it is about learning the answer. When we recognize the value of journey, loss becomes more than just loss.

     I once heard that every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end. Loss is like that. There can be no loss without a beginning, and it is in that loss that a new season begins. Loss isn't destiny aborted; with the proper perspective, it's life reborn.

     Learning to live again after loss takes time. Loss is far too difficult for you to be hard on yourself, so give yourself the gift of grace. Life wasn't meant to be lived in a day and loss won't be processed in a day either.

     If you're experiencing loss today, I would encourage you to slow down. Breathe. Rest. Take time for yourself. For it is in the sacred pauses that we find healing for our souls.

     Perhaps you're currently five tears shy of a monsoon. Go ahead, cry up a storm. Cry until every last tear is shed. Author Kyle Idleman once said this: "Funny thing about tears. Oftentimes it's only when they fill our eyes that we can finally see some things clearly."

     Maybe you haven't lost a person, but the loss you're feeling still goes deep to your very core. Maybe your loss is failure. Is it possible to view failure as more than loss? Absolutely. Just maybe your current failure (loss) is preparation for future success. Loss then becomes more.

     With any loss comes the realization that you don't have to be anything other than what you are. In a season of loss, we may find ourselves becoming more authentic than we've ever been before. It is in the losing that we find. We find ourselves, our passion, our true voice.

     There's a big difference between a deep well and a wishing well. Loss will show you the difference and you'll realize which well you've been drawing from all along. To find the more, one must learn to look deeper than the loss itself.

     Loss will come but when it does, look for the beauty; it's there, I promise you. The beauty from loss isn't always bold and brass. Sometimes it comes in small, almost imperceptible ways. And if we're not careful, we can miss it.

     There's more to loss than meets the heart. We don't have to go looking for loss; in time it will find us. And while every loss hurts, God's love redeems it all. When we trust in the Father's goodness and love, we will truly realize that loss is more.