“Instead, your hearts are filled with sorrow because I have told you these things. But I tell you the truth, it is for your benefit that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. And when He comes, He will convict the world in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment…” – John 16:7
I’ve been thinking about how the disciples must have felt when Jesus had to leave them to ascend into heaven.
How they must have wanted to cling to Him so desperately in that moment…
How this probably didn’t seem like a “good thing” to them in that moment of “loss”.
How they probably couldn’t even comprehend what He was saying He would do, that He would send the Holy Spirit to be with us all.
But they had to trust Him in that painful time of loss. They had to trust that He knows what is good and what is best.
What was He doing? He was sending us Someone that He knew we all needed.
“Instead, your hearts are filled with sorrow because I have told you these things. But I tell you the truth, it is for your benefit that I am going away…”
Loss is so hard.
And isn’t it crazy how sometimes even when we are in a “bad” situation, the loss of it can still be hard to deal with? The feeling of loss is strange.
Because change is hard.
But… “He tells us the truth.”
He knows best.
I’ve got to trust Him in advance.
What if something seems like a devastating “loss” to us, but God knows that it’s really going to be bigger and better than what we ever had before?
Jesus knew there was something new for us to learn and experience here on earth. There was another part of the Kingdom He wanted us to experience while living here. There was something more that Jesus wanted us to learn in a deeper way, in a broader way.
When I think of “loss” I feel this weird feeling in my stomach. Almost an ache.
Jesus understands.
So He reminds us that He speaks the truth. That His Word is solid, and that we can take heart and remember this whenever we are dealing with this kind of sorrow.
Why am I writing about this? I have no idea.
I honestly don’t even like writing about it because it’s not something I enjoy thinking about. Any kind of “loss”, even one that we know will eventually be “gain” is hard because that in-between, that time that we must use our faith and trust while we are in the waiting.
…But in that time of waiting we are also strengthening in the Lord.
And we can know that as His children, we are always headed toward heavenly abundance –an abundance that far exceeds any loss we’ve ever experienced in this life.
And while we are here, waiting on that abundance, we can trust that He will be our comfort and our peace.
He has good things in store for us.
He writes good stories about us, with us —for us, in His book.
Thank you, Lord. I trust You.
-Heather ?
It’s sometimes so hard for me to accept the above and beyond goodness of the LORD. Above His saving grace, above breath and another day, beyond the beautiful fact that He sees fit to draw me to His throne. It’s hard for me to accept the earthly good things from Him. Why is this? I suppose I look at my past sins and failures or falsely think that asceticism will be the quickest way to His heart. Loss is gain. Rejection is many times Gods protection.
Loss is hard and it hurts. Gain is sometimes hard to cope with as well. Thanks for helping me think this through.
Hello Jennifer! Thanks so much for stopping by to read and share your thoughts. I loved reading your perspective, and yes — you are so right that sometimes receiving that gain is hard as well. He has so much that He wants to give us if we’ll receive it! Isn’t that a wonderful thought… Thank you for sharing, Jennifer!