When Loss is Gain

This weekend, Gunner lost his first tooth!!! It has been loose for weeks and has caused more than one tearful nighttime routine….Gunner was afraid he would lose his tooth in the night and the tooth fairy wouldn’t understand. I love that boy!!

After Dad pulled it out, Gunner put it in an envelope to put on his dresser…..he anxiously awaited what would become of his envelope the next morning! He wasn’t disappointed! Turns out the tooth fairy has residence in PNG too! While Gunner might have lost a tooth, he gained coins with monetary value in exchange.

A good friend of mine once shared with me her take on the verse Job 1:21. It says,

And he [Job] said, “Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”

This particular friend is an avid fan of nature. She sees God in the world around her. She shared that the principle of God giving and taking away reminded her of the ocean and it’s tide. When the water or tide is high? There is much rejoicing and play that takes place. However, when the tide is low? There is loss. There is yet rejoicing though because there are 'treasures' from the sea littered across the beach where the water once was. What an insightful application of gaining in the midst of loss! Not only that, but the tide always ebbs and flows. It was made to do that. Similarly, our lives are made to cycle through joy and sorrow, healing and hurt, comfort and cries, and the list could keep going!

In light of eternity, Jesus lost his life to the utmost in order to gain salvation for mankind. What a priceless sacrifice!! However, the loss of something invaluably precious came before the blessing of obtaining salvation.

Our lives are defined by loss. If not currently, we will all feel the pangs of death at one time or another. The loss can either end in pain and agony, OR we can allow God to give us the greater gain and exchange the hurt for hope in Him!!!

“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”

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭3:7-8‬ ‭ESV‬‬