Have you ever felt bad, sad, or angry because you thought God took something away from you?
Losing something doesn't feel good, and usually when we lose something we mourn for it.
But did you know that it's not good to mourn for something that God took away from you?
Mourning for a God-Ordained Loss
Friends, we need to realise that God is good. When He does take something away from us, He's not doing that to spite us or make us feel awful and pitiful. No, He actually wants us to live better lives. (see Jeremiah 29:11)
Jesus said in John 10:10 that He wants to give us an abundant life. The word "abundant" there doesn't mean that it'll always be a blissful and trouble-free life. What He meant was a full and satisfying life.
God is totally committed to mould all Christians into the likeness of Christ. Romans 8:28 says He is using all things to do just that, and this includes periods of loss and grief. This is the reason why we should be joyful in loss.
Here are some reasons why it's not wise to mourn for something that God took away from you.
1. God Took It Away for Your Own Good
There are times when God deliberately takes away something from us that isn't good for us. Consider why He warned Israel of the dangers of making treaties with other nations, or how people were warning Samson against Delilah – God wants to bring you nothing but what is good for you. (see Matthew 7:11)
There are times when we blindly and foolishly set ourselves up for hurt. A man who blindly follows deceivers walks into his own ruin. When God takes you away from certain things, it's for your own good.
2. God Wants to Do Something New to You
Why should you mourn for times past when God is actually doing new things to you in the present? Consider what happened to Samuel. He mourned for Saul, Israel's king. God had to snap him out of mourning because He has already chosen David as the next king!
God is doing great things in your life now, and will do more tomorrow. Stop mourning for the past. (see Isaiah 43:18-19)
3. He Did It to Make Us More Like Christ
Christ experienced everything being taken away from Him, even the robes that covered His naked body as He hung on the cross. He was humiliated, His friends ran away, the crowds that followed Him suddenly turned against Him. He experienced the greatest loss any person could ever have.
If we think that Christ-likeness is easy, think about Christ who lost it all. If we want to be like Him, we need to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him (see Matthew 16:24).
We need to count everything as loss that we may gain Christ (see Philippians 3:7-8)
Friends, when God takes something away from us, it isn't a loss for us. It's actually our gain.
