The dark clouds of loss rolled in early for me. My parents, for a variety of reasons, couldn’t make their marriage work, and by the time I was four, their marriage was over. At a young age I became all too familiar with the word no child wants to hear: “divorce.”
In only the way God can orchestrate the events of life, He brought a childhood friend into my life who was experiencing the exact same situations. We hit it off from the start. Our moms took vacations together. We played on all the same recreation teams together. We went to the same schools together. We went everywhere together. As the years went by, we became the type of friends who could pick right back up from where we left off.
Then, one day, the dark clouds of loss that I was all too familiar with as a child rolled back in. My friend stopped returning my calls. And I did what I always do when people leave me–I panicked. Freaked out. The next time I found myself in the town where he lived, I even stopped by his house. I’ll never forget his wife coming to the door holding their two girls. She apologized and told me the truth: my friend was not ready to talk to me. That was 12 years ago, and I'm still counting.
I have often felt like David in the Psalms when he writes, “How long, oh, Lord?” or “Why, oh, Lord?” But I know God hasn’t wasted the pain I’ve felt over the fractured relationship with my friend. He has taught me valuable lessons that only painful situations can provide. Forgiveness is complex. Whether you intentionally or unintentionally hurt someone, you cannot control if that person forgives you. This is the reality I find myself walking in most days. In my state of panic, I attempt to fix and manage the relationships around me when the command Jesus gave was to love.
When the relational dark clouds roll in, I am reminded in painful seasons of loss that “there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24 ESV). Today, I choose to keep trusting the One who keeps me trusting, no matter the outcome. For I have experienced His promise amid relational loss; He will never leave me! When the dark clouds of loss roll in and appear to stay, rays of light break through, giving me hope that all is not lost.
Contributed by: Chad Vinson
Reflection:
-
Yesterday, we reflected on recognizing God’s presence in our lives and letting go of what we cannot control. As you consider the reflections from yesterday’s questions, take a moment, if you haven’t already, to jot down two actionable strategies—one for cultivating a perceptive mindset and another for nurturing inner peace. These could include practices like daily prayer, scripture memorization or recitation, handwriting a verse each morning, memorizing a psalm, or selecting a verse of the day for each week.
•
•
- Think of these strategies you wrote down as tools to carry with you beyond these 30 days—wind for your sails as you continue your journey. What simple plan can you create to integrate these strategies into your daily routine, helping you stay anchored in faith and peace long after this devotional ends?