Refined by Fire: Ignited to Rise From Comfort to CallingSample

LIVING... AFTER LOSS

Have you ever experienced grief and wondered how it could work together for good? Grief or loss can be present in various forms. Regardless of the loss (person, position, thing), life can seem blurry amid the process. As I sit in retrospect... there are two emotional moments in my life where the overwhelming experience of loss shook me. The first was when my children left the nest, and I lost my voice of authority in their lives, and the second... when my parents went to be with the Lord (which was undoubtedly the hardest thing I have ever had to endure).

My empty nest and my parents' passing happened around the same time. I have no words to describe the emptiness I felt daily. However, I also had no idea the parts of me that would come alive as I maneuvered the grieving process. Accepting reality can be challenging, but I trust in the promise that God has a predestined plan for our lives. He will use those parts to bring life to areas you once thought were empty and void. The lessons learned from loss can resuscitate dry... disconnected spaces in our lives. Still, we must decide whether to focus on what we lost or how to live with what we have left.

Through my experiences with adversity, I have learned that taking the time to "grow" through the pain and allowing it to serve as a teacher has increased my physical and spiritual capacity to receive more.

The overflow God grants us in the process is not just for us... it is to share with those who might experience the same struggles. Changing our viewpoint to accept adversity as a starting point for God to employ us as builders of His kingdom was a renewing and life-changing event.

The hope we offer the world is born out of the measure of trials and tribulations we endured ... and overcome. The crisis of a loss can be an "incubator for greater." So reset your mindset; don't devalue the leftovers. God can perform miracles from what we have left.