10/2/26 - Loss
Before I begin, I pray you have had a blessed week. In the highs and the lows of life, may we be learning—by God’s grace—to trust more deeply in the Lord Jesus Christ. We have made it through another week not by our own strength, but by the faithful provision of our heavenly Father. What a precious truth it is that God, in His fatherly care, sustains His people through all that life brings, as we rest in Christ by faith.
This week, I want to reflect on loss.
Relationships—whether with spouses, children, parents, or friends—are gifts from God. Yet, in a fallen world, they can also be sources of deep sorrow. We invest our time, love, and energy into them, and when things do not unfold as we had hoped, the cost is often great. Some losses are anticipated—declining health, strained relationships, or impending separations. Others arrive suddenly, such as the death of a loved one. Loss often comes in waves throughout our lives, and when it is not rightly processed, it can resurface later, not as the initial storm, but as a lingering ache—a profound sense of absence felt across many areas of life.
And loss is not limited to relationships alone. We also grieve lost dreams, lost freedoms, and unmet longings. These quiet sorrows remind us that we live in a fallen world, one that is not as it should be. In God’s providence, such losses are not meaningless; they expose the limits of earthly hopes and gently turn our hearts toward what is eternal. As the Lord loosens our grip on temporary comforts, He teaches us to wait on what He has promised—a restored inheritance where every good thing is secured in Christ.
There are times when I feel I have made progress in processing a loss, only to be quickly reminded of my human frailty. I am confronted again with the reality that my desires and plans do not always align with what the Lord, in His wisdom, has ordained for me. Learning to submit to His will—especially when it differs from my own—is a humbling and sanctifying work.
This past week was one of those moments.
As a single mum, I am constantly reminded around me of the things that I lack- a supportive spouse (a spouse in general to be fair), healthy finances, secure housing, the desire for more children. If I am honest with myself, the list of things I lack seems quite long! (queue exhausted sigh). This week I felt like a carrot was being dangled before me, I could have potentially had a few of those items on the ever growing ‘lack list’ ticked. The feeling of loss was going to be replaced with gaining.
Hope stirred. I prayed. I prepared—emotionally, mentally, and practically. Opening my heart, even slightly, felt daunting and vulnerable, yet also filled with cautious anticipation.
And then, just as clearly as the opportunity appeared, the Lord closed the door.
I would be lying if I said I was unaffected. I felt deeply disappointed—crushed, even. But in the midst of that sorrow, the Lord gently reminded me of a vital truth: if my hopes are to be anchored in Christ, then my losses must be entrusted to Him as well. Faith does not mean the absence of grief; it means bringing that grief under the lordship of Christ, trusting that God’s will—however painful or confusing it may feel—is wise, good, and purposeful.
Scriptures continually draw my heart back to this reality:
“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure…” (Hebrews 6:19–20)
“In his great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” (1 Peter 1:3)
“While we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ.” (Titus 2:13)
These passages remind me that my ultimate hope is not found in changed circumstances, fulfilled desires, or restored losses, but in Christ alone. He is the sure and steady anchor of my soul. In Him, even loss is not wasted, for our sovereign God uses every trial to conform His people to the likeness of His Son and to fix our hearts more firmly on the eternal inheritance that cannot be taken away.
