Fear of Losing

Fear of Losing

11/17/15

How many of us have this thought running through our heads?  At some point in our lives, we have to admit that this subject has crossed our minds.  It does not matter what type of loss we might encounter, a loss hurts and sometimes it is hard to recover what has been lost.  How quickly do we forget the truth that God can take away just as He has given; through our country’s attitude, it is clearly visible that we have forgotten this concept.  God is beckoning us to return to His fold, but if we do not then He must grab our attention once again.  Ironically when He does complete this act, it will be through our own choices that we fulfill every step that the Bible has already deemed as truth.

This last week proved to be one of the more up and down weeks that my memory can serve.  Work wise it was a great week but as many people know working in a hospital setting one always has to be aware of the surroundings for those surroundings can change within a mere moment.  For the most part my department was pretty much steady.  Yes, we had a few patients come in that were sick and needed a little bit more attention than normal but that is to be expected for this time of year, and with the course of treatment of each patient warrants these types of changes as well.

Right off the bat let me say that I am so very lucky to still have both of my parents alive and well on this earth.  I still learn from them each week that I am around them and I love that this learning process is still complete, for one can never learn more about life than from a parent.  Sadly, I must say that not all parents represent the best portions of life but lessons are still learned from such environments and it is our choice to continue them or to ignore them. 

One of the downers of my week last week came from a past coworker of mine.  Over the past few months, her mother had been declining in health but this was expected since some of the things that she had introduced into her body for decades was finally catching up to her, and with the colder weather creeping in it would be expected that she begin to slow down again.  After a couple of short hospital stays, she was released, sent to a short term rehab facility and from all appearances was making a full recovery.  This was all topped off by a return appearance to the weekly bingo hall for a friendly night with many of her friends.  The night ended well and all seemed normal as the family headed home.  But something was amiss for her daughter was awakened early in the morning with the news that her mother was not doing well.

No one really guessed that this hospital stay would be her last and that her condition would rapidly deteriorate in less than four days.  I was informed of the hospital stay and her condition while I was at work on Thursday afternoon.  I told my friend to keep me posted and to let me know what was going on at all times. Even though I was not a relative, I was close to this family for the lady’s daughter personally worked with me for more than six years.  While the hours passed I continued to listen for that text tone or the phone to ring, but it never did that day or night.

It is the beginning of November here and if a person is into high school football then that means that the playoffs are right around the corner.  We are lucky to have a great football program here in Delta and this year the team has been looking great; however, as with all humans they stutter a bit sometimes and force others to wonder how the final outcome will turn out.  Friday night is the last regular game of the season and the team we are playing is one of our bitter rivals.  Also, the winner of the game can claim the championship trophy of the league as well so there are many aspects in play here.

The game was a good one, tense all the way through.  Both teams played their hearts out and they gave everything they had to do their best to win the game.  The fans on both sides of the stadium had opportunities to cheer and to groan, with a few chances to argue with the refs too.  In the last few minutes of the game, Delta had the opportunity to score last but they had a long way to obtain this goal.  The drive seemed like it took forever and as the fans watched the clock tick down it seemed all was lost for an outright win and overtime would have to be settled for.  But alas, our running back took the ball for a long run and went down close to the goal line.  The crowd for Delta went crazy when on the next play our other running back ran the ball in for the go-ahead score with just 12 seconds left in the game.

The ensuing kickoff was a squib kick and the opposing team did their best to relay the ball across the field, yes rugby style and eventually ran out of time and space.  The game ended and Delta had won the rivalry game and had just finished the year unbeaten in conference play.  The only loss of the season came from a nonconference opponent that was a class higher than the one we are in; we were on the way to the playoffs on a high note.  For the first time in a very long time, our city and high school could brag about being the champs of the district instead of coming in 2^nd or 3^rd once again.  The atmosphere in the stadium was nothing but elation as news coverage of the game began and the interviews started.  It was a wonderful time for the kids and for the city and in my twenty-three years being here in this town I do not believe I have witnessed more joy and celebration than I did that evening.

The short drive home took longer than expected since I could tell most of the people leaving the stadium were still conversing about how the game went and ended as they walked towards their cars; I myself was caught up in this exciting moment too.  As we piddled our way home I could not help but think about my colleague’s mother and I was glad that I had not heard any disturbing news all day and so far that evening.  After we got home and unpacked the blankets and towels, it was cold that night we decided to go get some junk food to tie us over until the next morning.

As we were leaving for the fast food place my phone beeped, informing me that I had a text message.  Even though I was expecting a terrible message from my friend I was stunned when I opened the message and it read “mom is gone”.  My heart sank to my feet for I know that her family was devastated with the tragic loss of their matriarch.  The joy of our moment went down a huge notch and that was ok because life is so much more valuable than any game that is played.  My mood instantly switched and turned for the rest of the night and I went to bed saddened by the loss of a good woman, mother, grandmother, and all-around human being.

Even though this lady was not a relative of mine, nor did I have the opportunity to see her or to talk with her on a regular or continual basis, her life was a constant presence in my heart.  She was wonderful to converse with, cry with and especially laugh with.  I shall miss her presence on this earth and just knowing that she is no longer walking on the planet I cannot help but feel a certain amount of loss.  The comforting factor is that I know exactly where her eternal spirit now resides and will find out just how it feels to live without pain or suffering.

What do these two stories have in common?  They are another prime example of how God has always had the authority to give and to take away no matter what the situation may be.  The entire city of Delta was celebrating their victory while one family grieved for the loss of their mother, aunt, and wife.  The mother was never famous, rich or part of the societal clicks that would deem her life “important” to the community but to her family she represented their entire world that ever was.  It is this concept of giving and taking away that we need to keep in mind and to ensure that we never forget the importance of who is in charge of everything no matter if the circumstances are good or in dire straits.

Anyone who has heard the story of Job understands this concept of having everything that can be needed along with tons extra to having everything instantly taken away and the entire family stricken with ultimate grief.  This is the comparison that these two stories are making and it is the foundation of what God wishes for us to hear.  Job Chapter 3:25 is the perfect base for this topic for it describes what is going through Job’s mind at the time of his dilemma.  Job’s entire world had come crashing down upon him and he had watched his entire family’s possessions go up in flames.  Even his wife had commented to him to curse God and die.

This is a horrific scene and one that is not hard to think about and to imagine but the question remains if we really believe that something like this can happen to you, or to our nation?  The majority of the nation would say no simply because their ideas of prosperity have been lost to who actually has control over these things and, therefore they are not focused on the reality of such principle.  There is no way that anyone should be joyful in a death of a relative, friend or loved one but when the grievers understand that the one who has just left is with Jesus their immediate turmoil is comforted greatly, simply with this truth.  It is this comfort that job had not lost his faith in God nor did he listen to the advice of his friends and abandon everything that he had learned about God either.  He held fast and stayed true to his faith in God for Job understood the principles of God thoroughly.

It is this principle that many of us have forgotten and in turn have abused.  We expect our lives to be the most supplied and abundantly enriched than any other generation before us and while this is a great goal to achieve we must never forget exactly who gave us the opportunity to obtain these goals.  It is obvious that we have forgotten who the author of our lives and who gives us the luxuries that we now believe are necessities.  Another question begs to be asked and that is as follows: how would we fare if these luxuries were to be taken away, how would we function?  It is a legitimate question and the majority of the responses to that question do not have to be verbalized, for it is written all over our activities and attitudes.  And it is here where the difference lies between Job and our current lives and one that seriously needs attention immediately.

How can anyone prepare for death or for a death in the family?  How can one prepare for such a disaster occurring as it did to Job?  We like to believe that we as a human race can handle every episode of disaster, but it is obvious that when we look through history the majority of the time we have completely been caught unaware of how to deal with the current disaster that has presented itself.  The misconception that God could never allow such tragedies to occur around the world and that it is all by chance that things happen the way they do has gripped our minds and hearts to the point of being atheistic in foundational terms.  And it is also through this same misconception that when a disaster like the one in Job occurs, that we will have to fend off other like-minded humans when they attack for lack of their luxuries.

The only way that we as individuals or as a nation can survive a disaster of this magnitude is to be prepared as God has directed our hearts through His Word.  There is no guarantee that when these disasters will strike that we will survive them but if we do we need to be ready for what will occur afterward.  Job gives us an example of what could occur on a personal level and as I have watched many people lose family members over the years I can tell after the fact who knew God and who did not.  Their responses afterward are like night and day and when the national level is struck with such devastation it is predictable as to how people will respond solely based upon their beliefs.

It is this same type of setting that we need to understand about our personal situations for even though it may not seem too important if we leave this earthly life, but to some people and especially to God our eternal presence is of incalculable value.  We must never forget where our lives originate and it through this original environment that we are granted the wonderful blessings of God.  To remember that God can take away things, gifts, lifestyles and positions must also be retained within our lives for we never know when our lives will be changed with such tragedies.  No one likes to lose anything, but we all know that at some point in our existence we will experience such intimidating factors in our hearts; it is this important to understand why the fear of losing must be eased with the presence of God within our hearts.

We do not have a clue about long eternity really is, especially compared to our short lives here on this planet.  The result of our disobedience to God’s single command accumulated in a spiritual separation from God that must be in place until we take our last breath.  God did, however, place it within our lives to choose Him overall and to restore our lives, both physical and spiritual back to His fold, but we must give up the world in order to claim this eternal blessing.  This choosing God process is the only way that we can chase our fear of separation from God away; it comes from the covering of our sin through the blood of Jesus.  This acceptance of God’s ways and complete separation from the world actually takes the fear of losing our lives for eternity away from God’s heart.

Let us reconsider our position in this world and return to God and His ways.  We are much safer both now and for our eternity if we do this right thing.  If we do not turn from our ways God shall have no option but to allow certain things to occur in our lives.  When? I have no idea but God is a consistent God and He cannot waiver from His past dealings.  He is a fair and just God on all levels and must be consistent thereof.  We cannot avoid the personal devastations when death knocks on our door and if we do not heed the beckoning of God now, neither shall we avoid our national and worldly destruction.

DLB