Sheryl Brady - Suffering Life's Losses

Today, I want to talk to you about the subject of suffering life’s losses. We have all experienced many losses in our lives. 2020 has not been kind to many people, and the fact of the matter is that we have faced losses even before we entered 2020. For some, it has been a series of losses. Today, I want to speak to your heart and share some insights that I believe will help you, as they have helped me, when we start dealing with losses in life.

Father, today I thank you for the privilege of being able to worship you and to break bread and feed the flock that has gathered at their computers or around your table today. I pray, God, that this word will reach every man, every woman, every boy, every girl, every believer, and every non-believer. I pray, God, that your word will be effective today; use me to declare it among the nations, and I will give you thanks for it in Jesus’ name. Amen and amen.

Today we’re going to talk about loss because that is where many people have been. Someone said the other day, «What has 2020 been?» I replied, «It has been a year of sobering revelations.» It has certainly gotten our attention, and I don’t think many of us will forget 2020 anytime soon. Many people have suffered numerous losses: lost loved ones, lost family members, lost jobs, lost housing, and lost income. So many have experienced loss, and it is sobering when you realize that nothing around you is permanent. That reality is a hard truth.

If we live long enough, we will all experience some kind of season of loss in our lives—seasons that take away things that were very important to us. These can include your job, your family, your health, and relationships you thought you could always count on. Those losses will take away your peace, your earthly possessions, and potentially your marriage. At some point, many of us have faced or will face the death of someone we truly loved and cared about, someone we held deeply in our hearts. Many of you have found yourselves in these situations, and you’re trying to cope or grieve through the kinds of losses I’m addressing here in the year 2020.

If that’s not where you are today, I want to encourage you to lean in, listen closely, and take good notes. Because I promise you that at some point in your life, you will need the insights I’m going to share today. If you are experiencing this now, then certainly lean in, listen closely, and take good notes because I will attempt to provide you with five keys that I believe will assist you as you endure life’s losses.

It is obvious to most of us, though not all, that life isn’t fair. It isn’t a fairy tale where everyone ends up happily ever after. Ecclesiastes 8:14 in the New Century Version states: «Sometimes something useless happens on earth. Bad things happen to good people, and good things happen to bad people.» Such is life; we have all witnessed this.

Before I delve into those five keys, I want to share a couple of thoughts. One tendency we often have is to believe that when bad things happen to us, it is because we are bad. Conversely, we tend to think that when good things happen to us, it is due to our own goodness. In reality, neither statement is true. When good things happen to us in life, it is called grace; it is the grace of God. Conversely, when bad things happen, it is simply life and what we must endure.

You might wonder why it is this way. I will tell you—it’s because we live in a broken world. Our world has been shattered by sin, resulting in chaos. Therefore, things do not always go in the direction we hope for them to go. There will be times, even for believers, when bad things may occur in your life, and often, those events are not your fault.

Granted, there are moments when we reap what we have sown, but sometimes we find ourselves facing situations in life where we are innocent victims. There will be times when we will hurt, and we won’t deserve the pain. We may cry when we really shouldn’t have to, and we will face losses that are completely unexplainable.