Navigating the Passages of Life: Part 2

Every time there are losses, there are choices to be made.  We can choose to navigate through these passages & losses as passengers to anger, blame, hatred, depression, resentment, & hopelessness, or we can choose to let these losses be passages to something new, something wider, & deeper.  The question is not how to avoid loss & make it not happen, but rather how to choose to see losses as passages to a greater life & freedom.  It can be very difficult to experience loss of any sort.  In those trying moments when we teeter on the edge of hopelessness & despair, we need to reach out to God for help, for God is always walking with us on our journey.

Recently & very unexpectantly, I myself encountered a serious medical experience that forced me to pass through a season of what I considered extreme loss.  The situation required me to lose all my physical strength, surrender my job serving as an Interim Pastor of a large church & thus miss the entire Easter season & to spend three plus weeks away from my family in the hospital, facing a questionable recovery period.  I had many hours alone in that hospital, experiencing significant pain in a life-threatening situation, to think about my future.  Due to all that I had lost as I passed through those days, I can admit that there were days when I felt hopeless & fearful.  And then one evening, a Clergy person unexpectantly, I believe sent from God, came into my room to visit.  This person was a person of very deep faith.  We shared together for two hours.  It is difficult to explain all that we discussed but I can share that this person radiated hope, light, caring, unconditional acceptance, & a very strong faith.  His was a faith that reflected God’s light, goodness & strong healing power.  As we shared our faith together, I felt hope returning to my spirit & the hopelessness & fear dissolved.  I was able to let go of the fear & despair & my view shifted to dispel the darkness of those previous moments & to open the door for God’s light to come into my view as I passed into a new deeper wider space of light. 

Though I did not know & still do not know exactly what the future held or holds for me now, in those shared moments in the light of shared faith, I knew without a doubt that God was offering me something new, opening the door for me to a new level of trust, hope & healing for my soul, which helped significantly to the healing for my body.  Though I had lost a lot, I had gained immeasurable healing of my spirit.  From that time on, I was able to navigate through those days & beyond in a way that was bathed in gratitude to God, living in His light & reflecting His light to others, fanning the flame of hope.

When we awaken ourselves to God’s divine loving spirit within us, we can embrace God’s promise of new life & live in a spirit of hope that something new is happening for us that is far beyond our own imagining.  When we put our trust in our living God, letting our Creator define our life, we can move away from fear, sadness, & feelings of hopelessness & absorb the love & new life God blesses us with.  God is our shepherd, & our refuge & our strength.  Regardless of what losses we encounter, new life will be given to us if we trust in God the giver of all life. AMEN.  And so, we Pray:

“God of Grace & God of Glory, on thy people pour thy power, crown thine ancient church’s story, bring her bud to glorious flower.  Grant us wisdom, grant us courage, for the facing of this hour, for the facing of this hour.”   AMEN

~Posted by Rev Kathryn Bindig, MDiv. MS; Pastoral Care Minister with assistance from Rich Muscatello; Director of Business Development & Strategy