Often the most difficult part of coming back to God, after a time living an unnatural lifestyle, is the realization that we are returning with less than we had when we left. Oh, that it were only possessions that we lose while in the far country of sin and confusion, because those would be much easier to forget. However, often it may be family relationships, friendships, our innocence, or our own self respect that we have lost. Some losses are very painful. The challenge is how to deal with those losses. May I offer several suggestions?
1. Do not give up hope. You may or may not regain all you have lost, but keep hope that God will restore or replace what you have lost because of your sins. God has a way of turning the worst scenarios of our lives into blessings.
2. Do not sacrifice the blessings of the present, while grieving over the losses of the past. David grieved the loss of his and Bathsheba’s child. However, there came a time when David had to admit that there was nothing more he could do. Sometimes you have to let go and move on in order to find what God has for you today.
3. Do not become bitter at the things or the people you lost. It is easy to become angry at people who no longer speak to you, yet who are family members or who at one time were your closest friends. Be careful not to become bitter towards them. Forgive them, and understand how your wrong choices hurt them.
4. Enjoy what God has for you now. Many people lose the respect and trust of family and friends because of their choices, but God allows them to start over with new relationships. It is easy to be so focused on what you have lost, that you neglect what you now have. Do not look back at your losses and allow it to destroy what you have now.
5. Walk with God. There is nothing more important than this. You never lost Him, because he will never leave us nor forsake us no matter what we have done. When you feel a loss that hurts more deeply than anything you ever imagined, get closer to God. He is your comfort. He is your strength. He is your hope. He is your solace. He is the balm in Gilead. You can make it if you walk close to him.
So, if there has been a loss in your life due to choices you made in the past that brings great sorrow, consider these things carefully and move on for the Lord