Losing to Gain So Much More

​Hello everyone…and a very happy and blessed Monday to you all! I’m so glad to be here with you today…and I hope that your day is going well! As we begin our time together…my prayer is that God will give us a special tidbit of hope to hold to…a hope that will always keep us lifted high above despair…Amen!
Last night before going to bed, I was feeling a little low because lately my health has taken a turn for the worst. For those of you who really don’t know that much about me; this life of mine has been a long and painful journey, with much loss. You know…there was a time in my life, when all that loss would have taken hold of me and attempted to bring me down for good; but last night, I began to see the sprouts of new growth that have taken place in my life over time. I’m not perfect by any means; but I have truly come to take hold of the purpose behind all that loss, which has made it much easier to bear.
As I sat here last night, with tears streaming down my cheeks; I began to feel as if another form of loss was now beginning to enter my life…the loss of not being able to walk. Lately, I have been asking for God’s strength to handle this in the right way…and to be able to just take life one minute at a time. I’ll tell you…this is where a person truly sees whether they have grown spiritually or not.
One of my very favorite Bible verses that God has used to help me through the difficult parts of this journey is found in Philippians 3:8…and we read… “Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.”
I have come to see that the loss that has taken place in my life over time, has happened…that I may gain Christ in a greater way. When I feel down and discouraged…and I begin to focus on the negative thoughts, of what is taking place around me; God shows me that what I have already gained…is so much more valuable in my life; then all these losses put together. We must remember that the loss we experience in this life is only temporal; but what we gain through Christ is truly eternal.
Yesterday…while thinking on this, I began to see how easy it is to get sidetracked in our thinking. Seems like we think that we have to see the best…to experience the best; but what I have truly learned over the past years of my life; is that sometimes we have to experience the worst…to truly see and experience God’s best. In other words…there may be times, when we have to walk through darkness; that we may learn how to take hold of the light, which is Jesus.
One thing Christ has taught me as an author and a ministry director; is that He is the One that must always be seen through this ministry. In other words…for His sake, I must be willing to count everything as rubbish in my life; that my heart may be cleaned out and prepared for Him to enter and work through me.
Maybe you too have experienced a lot of loss in your life. Maybe you have lost a job…or maybe you lost someone close to you…or even your health may have failed you. May I encourage you to not focus on the loss; but rather, look for what you can gain through the loss. One thing I know for sure; these moments of loss that once seemed so precious to us, can never compare to what we can gain eternally through Christ Jesus, our Lord.
Have a very blessed day…and I will see ya soon!
It’s Always & Only Because of Him…
Diane