Philippians 3:7–9
But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 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 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith.
But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 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 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith.
Today
is Infant & pregnancy loss awareness day,
but the reality of losing a child is that every day is a day you remember. Every
morning you wake up and every breath you take is a moment they are not here
with you; forgetting is not an option.
Often times the pain comes flooding back as if
the nightmare has never ended.
You vividly remember the moment your world came
crashing down in a matter of seconds. The pain hits so hard you can hardly
breathe. The puzzle that had become too
scrambled to fix was the nightmare you so desperately want to escape.
Was it real?
Did these things, this crippling pain really
happen?
Your body often stood paralyzed from the inside
out. Standing, siting, and walking were
chores that once never took a second thought. You went through the motions and would
often pretend to be strong and yet your entire being was screaming to be set
free and break the bondage that held you a prisoner.
I was so often broken and beaten; lost and alone.
The suffering was suffocating me from within and I had no escape. I was a
prisoner to my own pain and crying out with words of helplessness. I found
myself on my knees to many times too count and found myself searching and
pleading. I wondered if it would ever end. I wondered if I was strong enough. I
wondered what God’s plan must be.
I was recently challenged to look at the life of
Paul. Paul was a great leader and yet every earthly gain he had ever achieved
was of absolutely no value do to the fact that he realized his worth and value
were completely found in Jesus Christ. Wow! This has really hit me lately. My
children, my family, my life; they are His.
All HIS!
My reward and worth are nothing if I don’t have
Jesus Christ. I began to ask myself if I
cherish Christ more than anything else in my life, even more than my children;
His children? What if that meant He could take my child at any time, my spouse?
Oh…. He has numbered our days. I can find joy in her life in the days He
allowed her to have or….ask myself again.
Do I REALLY cherish Christ and TRUST Him more
than ANYTHING else in my life?
The answer is yes, oh; but that yes does not role
easy off of my tongue. I WANT my children. I WANT to protect them at all cost….
I can’t; He can!
YES He can! I have suffered SUCH loss, but have
GAINED so much more in HIM. I know because of Him and His greatness that I will
see my little girl again. I know that because of His goodness and His love He
has brought me through trail after trail. I have overcome.
Bethany Hope is a gift. A gift of hope and
treasures in Christ. I can share her story of hope, grace and love. Her story of
triumph through grief. His story of overcoming.
Our battlefield is here every day right in front
of us. I often forget that the ones I
treasure the most, the ones that need to see me lose everything to see His
riches as gain, are the ones I love the most.
Lord, I pray I can wipe away the tears of pride
and hurt and turn my eyes to you. Father remind me to fall at your knees and
loss my worldly ways and Gain my ALL in you!
