We all experience sorrow.
Real pain from loss that can not be simply shrugged off.
We find ourselves broken, lost, and mournful in the immediate aftermath as we attempt to navigate the shock of our new reality. However, what comes next is the most critical part. We have the choice to either lean into God and those around us, or pull away.
Isolation is attractive as it allows us the space and privacy to process the loss. It pushes everyone and everything away and briefly allows us to be alone with our thoughts. However, for true healing to take place, we must open ourselves up. We must let others in.
We can blame God and pull away, but that leaves us stranded with nothing but our own limited perspective and comfort, exacerbating the finality of our loss. Conversely, we can lean in and unlock sources of wisdom, peace, and comfort that far supersede our own.
“Distress that drives us to God does that. It turns us around. It gets us back in the way of salvation. We never regret that kind of pain. But those who let distress drive them away from God are full of regrets, end up on a deathbed of regrets.”
Sadly we will all experience distress in our lives. It is an inevitable constant given the fragility of life on Earth. However, when it comes, hopefully we can remember to lean in vice pull away, and thus gain access to the true source of restoration.