Words from the Rock
You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.
Matthew 5:4 Message
The next blessing Jesus described in his mountaintop sermon is similar to the first one—meaning it sounds a bit like an oxymoron. Remember the “lucky loser” line? Well, this particular blessing involves personal loss. Admit it, it’s hard to get excited about losing someone or something you love. But Jesus said you’d be blessed when you lose whatever is most valuable to you.
And that’s a little scary. I mean, think about it. What is so precious to you that you cannot imagine living on the planet without it? Is it a person—like your best friend, a family member, your latest crush? Or maybe it’s a thing—a great car, your computer, your cell phone, or a pet. How would you feel if it was suddenly taken from you?
Okay, maybe that’s something you’d rather not think about right now. Or maybe you’ve already experienced that loss in some form. Whatever the case, Jesus is saying that when you know what it’s like to lose whatever you love the most, you will then understand what it means to be gathered up into God’s arms and loved like you’ve never been loved before. It’s not that God doesn’t love you now, but this is his guarantee that if you suffer a painful loss, he has a very special way of comforting you.
If you think about it, that’s an amazing promise. And if you believe it and take it seriously, that promise can give you the confidence to go bravely through life, because you’ll know that no matter what happens, even if what you love most is taken, God will be there ready to love you in a way that will blow your socks off—a way that’s beyond any earthly form of love. That’s an awesome blessing!
My Prayer
Dear God,
Help me to understand how huge your love for me really is. Whether or not I’ve experienced a big loss in my life, help me to realize that you are able to make up for it in ways I cannot begin to imagine. I want my faith to grow as I choose to trust you with whatever loss has come or will come into my life. Help me to reach the place where I know I am blessed no matter what.
Amen.
Final Word
If you want to save your life, you will destroy it. But if you give up your life for me, you will save it.
Luke 9:24 CEV
Stone for the Journey
I can trust God with my loss.