The Greatest Loss
“The grand essentials of happiness are: something to do, something to love, and something to hope for” said Allan K Chalmers. In a world where everything seems to be falling apart one after the other, hanging in there with hope may be difficult at times. Almost every day whether you are watching the news of reading a newspaper, you see thousands of people losing their jobs, losing their wealth, losing their health, losing their houses, losing their loved ones. Loss is always painful, because every loss brings in disappointment that something or someone you trusted did not live up to your expectations, and now you are forced to find alternatives and make painful adjustments in life accordingly.
What is the worst thing you could ever lose in life? When we lose material things it causes discomfort because it affects our lifestyle, when we lose health it limits our life in many ways because our body is unable to function normally. When we lose a friend or a loved one it hurts us emotionally, when we lose someone who is significant in life it seems almost impossible to be the same person again, may be in a sense we will never be the same person again. However, in all these losses the thing that helps us recover or move on with life is the thing called HOPE. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr says “We must accept finite disappointment, but we must never lose infinite hope”.
Loss is always painful, because every loss brings in disappointment that something or someone you trusted did not live up to your expectations, and now you are forced to find alternatives and make painful adjustments in life accordingly.
It has been said that the only thing worse than insanity is hopelessness. Hope is often defined as the ability to look forward with confidence or expectation. As someone said Hope is putting faith to work when doubting would be easier. When something unexpected happens, when we suddenly lose something which we thought will be with us for a long time, we tend to immediately cave in to the fear that the sky is falling. At that moment of life it may look like everything is crumbling because of that particular loss but the reality is that we do survive most of the losses without being totally crushed. Living beyond a loss demands hope that is founded on a firmer foundation than our circumstances.
When something unexpected happens, when we suddenly lose something which we thought will be with us for a long time, we tend to immediately cave in to the fear that the sky is falling…Living beyond a loss demands hope that is founded on a firmer foundation than our circumstances.
The Bible is filled with examples of people who could have easily given up and justified themselves for quitting on life, but many of them prevailed over their difficult losses and trials because they put their ultimate trust in God who gave them hope to hang in there. The Psalmist says in Psalm 42:11 “Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God…”. The Apostle Paul says, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace, as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13). The Greek word for hope “Elpida” means to look forward with pleasurable confidence and expectation. In fact Paul is implying that we as followers of Christ should not only be hopeful, but abound in hope, meaning we should have surplus of hope to share with those who lack hope. I can hear some of you sighing “Yah Right!”, well I know it sounds crazy, but it is true that we are expected to not only have hope but to share our hope.
François de la Rochefoucauld Says “Hope is the last thing that dies in man…while we are traveling through life it conducts us in an easier and more pleasant way to our journey’s end.” Life without hope is a painful gradual death. Hope in itself may not do wonders, but it will definitely make the journey bearable. Though some philosophers and thinkers say that hope is just a deceiving illusion, life without hope is even worse; it is a pitiful survival, and a pointless dragging of existence. People need something to trust that gives hope and purpose to live on. When people put too much trust and hope in their wealth or material blessings, they are making themselves very vulnerable for a deep disappointment. Things and people can give us temporary hope, it is OK to check your stocks, the value of your wealth, your 401K, or retirement benefits…etc, as long as you remember that all of these things are temporary and fleeting. Make sure you don’t put your complete trust and hope in them; put your ultimate trust in God who alone outlives you and your problems.
“If you lose hope, somehow you lose the vitality that keeps life moving, you lose that courage to be, that quality that helps you go on in spite of it all” says Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I believe the greatest loss in life is not losing things or people, but losing hope: the ability to trust that God is still in control and he still makes all things beautiful in his time. The psalmist says in Ps 20:7 “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God”. The apostle Paul says 1 Tim 4:9 “We have put our hope in the living God…”.How about you my friend, on whom, or on what did you put your hope on?
I believe the greatest loss in life is not losing things or people, but losing hope, the ability to trust that God is still in control and he still makes all things beautiful in his time.
– – Author: Rev. Francis Burgula – –
