No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another. – Charles Dickens

“I don’t know, but right now my losses feel like too much for me to cope with,” said a sad 54-year-old woman. She had recently lost her job in a bank – the week before she lost her apartment and her dog in a raging fire, followed three days later by the death of her mother from a heart attack. It was indeed too much to bear.

These days it seems there are a lot of suffering and losses surrounding us. In the last month, I’ve been with people who have suffered from:

– loss of a job
– loss of health
– loss of friends or family members because of misunderstandings, a move, even death
– loss of a pet
– loss of their homes from storms, fires, or defaults on mortgages
– loss of their sense of confidence
– loss of support
– loss of a sense of hope

John O’Donohue wrote in his book To Bless the Space Between Us,
“Your heart has grown heavy with loss;
And though this loss has wounded others too,
No one knows what has been taken from you
When the silence of absence deepens.”

We live in a culture that encourages us to presume that we have the ability to control what happens to us, our destiny, the forces of nature, illness, even death. We take pride in our independence, that by our own efforts we can take care of all our needs. Therefore it may be difficult for us to face the fact that we are indeed needy, that we will have enormous losses during our lifetime that may leave us without security or safety or hope – even without people to help care for us. We will need courage to face such an uncertain future, to learn to walk roads that may be lonely and desolate.

Perhaps more than ever, when we feel a deep sadness in our souls, we need to gather together to embrace one another’s sorrows, to hold each other when we are crushed in spirit. Then, although we may feel that we can barely survive the darkness of our brokenness, we can stand with one another with a tiny spark of hope in our hearts. And we can renew our strength and our faith under God’s protective wings.

God of the brokenhearted, make your presence known to all who have suffered loss, who have experienced the heartaches of life, who have shattered hopes and broken dreams. Assure us of your love during times of suffering, disappointment, and loss. May we learn to comfort one another and to cast our worries and our fears on you, knowing that you care for us as our loving parent. Amen.

Joy Carol
www.joycarol.com