Loss

 I woke up this morning with a deep sense of loss and sadness. I felt an intense urge to hold on—but to what, I wasn’t sure, nor did I know how. A famous quote came to mind: “If you love something, let it go. If it comes back to you, it’s yours forever. If it doesn’t, then it was never meant to be.”


Do I agree with that quote? What about fighting for the ones you love? How do you just sit back and let them walk away? How do you work through the grief of loss without being completely overwhelmed by pain?


Over the past 13 years, I’ve experienced so much loss—some through death, others through choices or conflict. Waking up today with that familiar ache of sadness took me by surprise. My first instinct was to avoid it—maybe distract myself with funny or feel-good reels. But that only made the feeling worse. Watching others enjoying life in perfectly curated snapshots felt empty. What brought me to this moment? I needed to dig deeper.


I glanced at my watch and saw the date. Tears filled my eyes. Seven years ago today, I had my last kiss, my last words, my last touch, my last glimpse—and my final goodbye—with my mom while she still had breath in her lungs.


At the time, I couldn’t fully grieve. Caring for her through the last 18 months of her life as dementia slowly took her from me left me emotionally spent. My grief was delayed.


Two years before that, in 2016, I lost my mother-in-law and my dad. And five years before that, in 2013, I lost my oldest brother. Now, in 2025, I sit here heartbroken not only over those deaths but also over the losses that came from broken relationships—losses that came through choices, not mortality.


So many of the people I’ve loved—those who once played significant roles in my life—are now gone. I find myself swimming in sorrow, and I don’t know what hurts more: death or division.


That’s where my emotions have taken me today. Do I desperately try to hold on and fight for those I love? Or do I lay them down at the feet of my Rescuer? Do I continue to grieve endlessly, or do I hold to the truth of Scripture?


“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

—Philippians 4:6-7


Today, I have two choices:

1. I can walk in the pain of loss—dwelling on it so deeply that I miss the beauty of new relationships and the hope of restoration.

2. Or I can thank God for the time I had with those I loved, pray blessings over those who are still alive, and look forward to the day I’ll be reunited with those who are gone.


So much has been lost. But God—He has been faithful. He’s given me His peace and His joy, which outweigh my circumstances. I’ve allowed myself a moment to grieve—but now, I will lift my eyes to the One from whom my help comes.


“My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.”

—Psalm 121:2

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