dailydatewithgod

As things are rapidly shifting and changing in our world in response to the virus being experienced all over there is a sense of loss on many levels.  Loss of familiarity, loss of people, loss of connection, loss of what is okay and what is not, loss of jobs, loss of normalcy, loss of privacy, and so on.  We process the loss as best we can at the moment but when so much of it is happening at once it can seem overwhelming.  For those who resist loss or do not want to face it, there is an added challenge because it cannot be avoided.  Everywhere we turn we see it and feel it.  Sounds terrible, doesn’t it?  On one level it is but on another level, it is something we are built for.  On a physical level, we experience all kinds of losses on a given day we just aren’t aware of them.  We lose cells, we lose hair, and we lose breath. On a practical level, we lose minutes, we lose keys, we lose opportunities, we lose words, we lose ideas, we lose hope, and we lose connection with ourselves and others. We are simply experiencing loss with greater impact and it is happening for everyone simultaneously.  Nature goes through similar kinds of loss grandly but it does not appear to have a thinking mind to make a story about it.  It is simply what is.  I do not say this to devalue in any way the experience of loss.  It is a phenomenon of living that is real and can be a challenge even for those whom I would perceive as being most mindful and enlightened. Loss reminds us of the parts of this human experience that can just suck!  Not to mention that it can cause us to feel lost. God encourages us to find some relief by turning to the eyes of our hearts.  In the space deep within each of us where the knowing of all that is and all that will ever be is the courage to hold space for all of our loss and all of our hope.  It may seem ridiculous in trying to navigate through loss to pause and take a deep breath but I have learned that contrary action is often the most helpful.  Each day in my daily prayer and meditation as I meet myself and God to connect within on our date, I am reminded of who I am as so much more than what I am experiencing.  God holds the truth of each of us as more than we can imagine.  God knows whatever loss we are experiencing it does not define us.  Bringing the impact of loss in my life to my time with God as imperfectly (i.e.–my mind won’t stop racing or I can’t concentrate but I show up) as I do, opens the door to other options than just my mind comes up with. God reminds us not to confuse the impact of loss with a definition of us as lost.