Loss into Life

Here it is in a nutshell: Just as one person did it wrong and got us in all this trouble with sin and death, another person did it right and got us out of it. But more than just getting us out of trouble, he got us into life! Romans 5:18 (MSG)

I saw the invitation on my Facebook page. "You are invited to hear Dave Barker and Josh Starner share about 'Dealing with Divorce'.." The announcement went on to include details of time and place. I knew Dave and without hesitation, I texted him. I'm not usually that forward but helping others with the effects of divorce is something that is near and dear to my heart as I was a child of divorce. I offered to help if they ever needed a women's perspective, especially to the girls and ladies who would be there.

Dave was excited and invited me to join them. It was later he told me that my text should have never reached him. He was in a region where there was no cell service. God had a plan.

Everyone has a story. If we are human, we have endured difficult days. We live in a fallen world because of "one person". Whether it has been trauma, tragedy, divorce, walking in the consequences of poor choices, financial devastation, or ongoing battles with our thoughts, we know what it is to hurt and what it is to feel hopeless. However, because of "another person", and One far more powerful, we have been saved from being conquered by all these things! Jesus Christ has not only rescued us from being overcome and destroyed, but by His conquering of death, sin and Satan's hell, He has brought us to His side and turns evil on its head. When we give ourselves and our painful trials to Him, He will use them for His glory-perhaps we will see it tomorrow, next year, or not until we see Him face to face. But we can be sure that in submission to Him, He is able to weave together something beautiful. There is redemption!

In the meantime, we have an incredible opportunity to be available for others who are experiencing hardship. To be available doesn't mean we have all the answers, or that we have finished the journey of our experience. To be available means to walk with someone else-to listen, to share where we have been and what God has shown us, to simply be present. When others can see that we have walked the valley and have emerged with a renewed faith in a good God, that there is a hope and a future, then God has already begun to redeem our adversity. God has a plan to use our pain to encourage others, to show others His heart of faithfulness, goodness and redemption, to grow us, and to emphatically declare that He is God and He will prevail. Will we give Him our pain and let Him use it for His glory? Let's pray for opportunities to share with others what God is doing. Lord, thank You that You are victorious and that the wake of my hardship will not destroy me. Lord, take my pain and use it to bring life and encouragement to others. You are an amazing God that You, and only You, can turn loss into life. Amen.

Jocelyn Hamsher