Rebounding from Loss

A  youth pastor I once knew told a story of how when he was a teenager he and some of his friends would go to super markets and try to race shopping carts by pushing one cart forward while dragging one behind. He shared this story to drive home the point that it is difficult to move forward while looking back. He ended his story by saying that these races never did go well. He would either find himself off course, running into others pushing them off course or feeling torn between looking back and forth the entire time, all the while trying not to crash. It is almost scary how closely this analogy mirrors life situations.

There are many different types of losses that many of will face in this life that we have to chose to rebound from. Some of these include: loss of some physical skill, loss of memory, loss of a vocational opportunity, loss of a partner in your life, loss of financial security, loss of a loved one, loss of a job, loss of who you once were due to a traumatic event and the list can go on and on. With these losses there are two different ways one may respond: Get stuck at the state of which the loss occurred (possibly even digress) or strain toward what is ahead (move on). Granted timing does account differently per individual as grieving a loss of any kind is essential to healing and must occur so that one may properly move towards acceptance and a new season in their life. However, once grieving has taken its course one must acknowledge their current state of being and decide what they will do next: nothing or something.


"Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." - Phillipians 3:13-14

Letting go is probably one of the hardest things we have to do and lessons we have to learn, because it takes surrendering of our will. What was done cannot be changed. Rather than finding where to place the blame, the focus should be on finding the opportunity in what is at hand. A great example of this is Bethany Hamilton the young lady, who the movie Soul Surfer is based on. She through a traumatic event had her entire left arm bitten off up to her shoulder by a shark. Prior to this event she was in surfing competitions and was doing quite well winning first place and headed off to the Nationals. This event could have stopped her in her tracks completely, but through her faith in God and belief that all things things are possible through Him who gives strength (Phillipians 4:13) she pressed on, didnt stop and chose to re-train herself and learn how to surf with her current state of being. As a result, her life and her story has touched thousands among thousands and many have come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Would these same results have been possible had she not endured what she had? She was asked once if she would go back the day she lost her arm and not have gone surfing and she said no she wouldn't change it because she wouldn't have been able to do what she has done and helped others as she has had it not happened. We may not know why things happen as they do, for now we know we only know in part, but we do know who can strengthen us through what happens. If we persevere and stay strong, our stories will not only be a real success, but will impact lives giving God all the glory. There is no better ending to a story than that! So be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord (Psalm 31:24)

Rebound and turn your loss into a gain. It can be done in Jesus' name!

Article Written By: Jessica Felix Jager, MSW

New Heights are Merely at Arms Length

"Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him."- James 1:12

Lets face it, in life there are constant ups and downs. One week we may feel that we really got it together, we are making progress in different areas in our lives and things are just lining up. The next week or month we get in a rut and feel like we are stuck. Why is that? Did the progress that we made suddenly disappear? How quickly we forget the work that has been done because we get fixated on what has not yet been accomplished.

This is especially true for those that are suffering from an illness, severe medical condition or are working on recovering from a Traumatic Brain Injury. There are always new levels of recovery to reach whether it be on a spiritual, emotional, physical or developmental level. New heights are merely at arms length. Many times we get fixated on the levels that we have not yet reached, or the dreams and goals we have not yet come close to, but what we really should focus on is what we have done so far and allow that to motivate us to press on towards the next phase in our lives.

No one likes to wait. I have yet to meet a person that loves waiting. With our fast paced, one click and bamb you got it society, we have lost the art of waiting, being still and patiently learning the lessons that this life brings.  A wise little old man once told me that everything you go through is a lesson learned or a tool gained that you will need for the next phase of your life. With that being said, we need to shift our way of thinking and embrace the lessons we are learning right now, grasp the tools we are gaining right now and appreciate the people we are meeting and interacting with right now, because all of this is what will prepare us for "later" (whenever that may be).

So press on and persevere through your circumstances, the end result will be just what you needed for whats to come!

Article Written By: Jessica Felix Jager, MSW