Loss is a fact of life for all of us – whether large or small, we are continuously needing to make peace with the reality of loss…and with the specific losses in our own lives. Loss is inherent in mortality – part of our life experience since Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden of Eden and through their transgression lost the opportunity to live in the presence of God.
When losses come to us, we are usually taken aback, depending on the strength or depth of the loss, sometimes stunned, bitter, devastated, even lost ourselves for a while. Sometimes we feel plunged, overwhelmingly, into deep water, submerged, unable to get a breath.
It takes time to find our way amid losses. Sometimes it’s a matter of transition to a new way of making a life in the midst of loss. Sometimes it means overcoming a loss and finding a different way. Oftentimes, in the midst of our losses, in our search for effective coping, we seek God in a different, more-focused way.
God draws near to us in our times of loss. He recognizes the potential power of these times to soften our souls, deepen our compassion, hollow out, through suffering, a larger capacity for kindness – and for joy. His presence is healing when we are open to receive it.
At Sixteen Stones we recognize the sacred space inherent in times of loss. We honor and respect the very real pain that accompanies it. We invite grieving as an appropriate response to any kind of loss, recognizing that mortality has many. In the quiet, private pondering time allows movement to a healthier hope for understanding our losses more completely, and finding a place of peace, even in the midst of pain. Our losses shape us, as much as any experience of life. Learning to work with loss peaceably is a healthy coping skill that will serve us throughout the journey of life.
Why would God require so much loss from us? Why so much pain?