Gladness for Mourning: Hope in the Midst of Lossनमुना

DAY 4: Hope in Lost Lifestyles

Think of an activity you love. 

Going to the beach, watching a movie, celebrating a birthday. Since we’ve had to think about contact and distancing, everything we do has changed to some extent. We’ve lost community, we’ve lost hugs.

We’ve lost lifestyles that may never return to “normal.”

Mary is on her second wedding attempt. Just before the shutdown, she and her fiancé managed to secure a license and get married with a few family members present. Almost a year later, she’s trying again to use the venue that’s already paid for but it may end up being only a few more people than last year.

Emma’s college experience is not what she expected. After a fun fall of her freshman year on campus with activities, sports and a great learning experience, the shutdown forced her back home to struggle through engineering classes online. She’s anticipating a return to in-person school, but she knows that campus life will not be the way she left it. She may not see that again for the rest of her degree program.

Sam and Leslie have postponed their vacation three times. Each time it seems “safe” to go, numbers spike in their home area or destination and once again they push it back. And even if they do go, many activities won’t be available. It feels like an awful lot of work for little reward—even trying to have fun just doesn’t seem the same.

Everyone is feeling a loss of lifestyle. We’re disconnected and feeling stuck. So how do we find hope in this midst of this kind of loss?

For Mary, she’s grateful for her husband and is using the planning to create a bright spot of joy and remembrance for their new life. It’s a chance to celebrate God and what He’s given them even in difficult times.

For Emma, being home has helped her to be an encouragement to her mom who was living alone. Together, they have grown closer and stronger not just as mother and daughter but as sisters in the Lord.

For Sam and Leslie, they’ve learned to just hold travel plans loosely and not become bothered when things change. Even if they don’t go at all, they’ll “staycation” by enjoying the beauty of their home state. This new flexibility has spilled over into other parts of their lives as well and they feel free to roll with God’s plans instead of theirs.

Loss of lifestyle can steal your hope of “normalcy.” But if you choose to live in joyful, purposeful moments right where you are instead of looking to future “plans,” you can refocus your perspective. When we came to faith, our old life—our old selves—died with Christ on the cross (Gal. 2:20). Our old lifestyles were never again going to line up with the world’s standards. It was a loss. A death.

But the new life we have in Christ is so much more than any of us could have imagined. We have been set free, transformed and brought into a purpose that goes beyond today or even the rest of our lives! We can live out God’s Kingdom with joy in the everyday balanced with hope for eternity.

Points to ponder:

• What’s an activity or pastime you feel that’s been lost due to social distancing? How have you adapted that activity?
• Whether it’s a lost vacation or the way you used to celebrate a birthday, think of ways you could turn that “change of plans” into an opportunity to encourage someone else.