How to React to Losses as a Christian?
In life, we experience wins and losses. Loss of relationships, opportunities, you name it. And the way we react to losses can determine where we place our trust. Who do you place your trust in during times of loss? From John 7:1-13 we can find two different types of responses to loss: the world’s reaction and a Christ follower’s actions.
The world reacts to losses by seeking after worldly success (v.1-5).
We have learnt recently that Jesus lost a lot of his disciples except for the twelve. These disciples deserted Jesus because they could not commit to living a sacrificial lifestyle that Jesus was living.
After this, Jesus was traveling around Galilee. He didn’t have the authority to go there but at the same time, the Jewish leaders were trying to kill Jesus. They were plotting to do so because Jesus was claiming to be the Messiah. If this were true, their work would be for naught as they believed that God had given up on the promises of a Saviour and deliverance because of people’s sin. Due to this belief, the Jewish leaders took it upon themselves to be seen as pure. So pure that the Jewish leaders cast themselves as the authorities of other people’s belief. They would monitor and remove people if they didn’t align with this belief.
And at this time many of them were gathered in Galilee, where a very big festival (known as the Festival of Shelters) was held. The Festival of Shelters was done in remembrance of their ancestors who lived in the wilderness. Many Jews would have attended this event in Judea. Jesus’ half brothers believed being there would the best way for Jesus to regain his followers (and in turn, his popularity and credibility). They told Jesus that he should perform his miracles in Judea so he could recover his losses, win back his followers and prove himself as the Messiah.
Yet, his brothers didn’t understand why Jesus would hide in smaller towns. They didn’t understand his mission and at this point, didn’t even believe in his cause.
This reaction from Jesus’s brothers is the same one that we can see in the world today. We are told to recover our losses no matter the cost. No matter what we lose - romantic relationships, jobs, or money - we need to keep pushing and regain what was lost for greater security. It’s even come to a point where people are no longer satisfied because they have to keep chasing after this false sense of security. Let us remember that the only true source of satisfaction is Jesus. And the only way that we can be secure in our losses is by trusting in God.
Christians react to losses by trusting in God (v.6-13).
Jesus doesn’t let his brothers’ advice determine his actions. Instead, he waited for God to give him the signal to go to Galilee, and he only entered into the Festival as God told him. Jesus obeyed the Father. It’s clear that he was not entering Judea in response to losing disciples but rather because he trusted in God’s plan. He was patiently waiting and trusting in God’s direction and for his will to take place.
In the same way, we shouldn’t place trust in ourselves but instead, place our whole trust in God. Like Noah, who waited for God’s signal to leave the boat even though it was clear that the flood waters had cleared (Genesis 8:7-16). We need to realise that God should be at the forefront in everything that we do; not the back up plan or where we go when we need a solution.
We need to patiently wait and trust in God’s direction. When it comes to losses in this life, our response is to trust in God. Our purpose in this life is to show God’s love and glory in everything that we do, whether it is a loss or a win. We were made to trust and obey God. Obedience and trust can be our only response to losses in this world.
Father God,
Thank you for the love and grace that you have provided through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I pray that like Christ we choose to live a sacrificial lifestyle and choose to trust you wholeheartedly. I pray that we can be obedient even when it’s hard, and to trust in you when we face losses in this life.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.