Articles
Preparing for Losses
It’s not unusual to hear reports of raging fires in California or the Northwest during the dry seasons. But of course, it can hit closer to home. When our son Andy and his wife Lisa were living in Edmond, Oklahoma, a big fire nearby was causing considerable concern on the campus where they were living at the time. They packed both cars with their belongings, ready to leave if necessary. I could hear the siren on the phone as he described the tall flames a few blocks away. The fire, however, was brought under control, so they did not have to evacuate.
How tentative life is! We could easily lose our possessions to fire, flood, tornado, theft, etc. (Matthew 6:19-21). We could lose our loved ones to accident or illness or even murder, God forbid! We ourselves could die sooner than we had expected. God does not guarantee us exemption from trials, does He? Losses and hardships are part of living, and so is dying.
How do we respond in view of all this? On one hand we could assume that such things could never happen to us—and then react with shock and anger when they do. Or we could go to the other extreme and expect the worst, thereby forfeiting our peace of mind.
Is it possible, however, to take a more balanced, biblical view of life? If we accept the fact that some hardships are inevitable, while at the same time trusting God to help us through them when they come, then won’t we be able to enjoy the present without dreading the future?
God equips His children to be overcomers, not victims. We can learn from our losses and grow from our griefs (Romans 5:3-5; Hebrews 12:5-11; James 1:2-4; 1 Peter 1:6-7).
Not only that, but just knowing that the future is uncertain can help us develop that child-like, trusting dependence on our heavenly Father, who loves us and takes care of us. This keeps us from making plans as if we had complete control of the future (James 4:13-16).
We don’t. He does. Let’s trust Him!
