Loss; as much as we try to put it off or ignore it, loss is a big part of life that we all have to face.

Sometimes it’s a small loss, like your favorite sports team loses the big game. That’s the kind of loss make you down and maybe even upset for a few days, but you get on with your life promising yourself ‘we’ll get them next year!’

But life gives you way bigger losses-

Loss of your first love. The heartache of knowing that the relationship that you thought was going to be ‘the one’ is over. That hurts right?

Then life gives you more ‘grown-up’ loss. Like an aging parent is slowly losing their memory. It starts with subtle and small mental missteps and then in the blink of an eye they can’t quite remember your name, or where they live. They are losing memory while you are losing the person that has been your guide, your support and your biggest fan.

Or we can experience the profound loss of a loved one. Maybe it’s loss after a long battle with a disease…or maybe it’s completely unexpected phone call in the middle of the night…

In this life we will have loss. We will have pain and we will grieve. And it’s in times like these, we turn to the one that knew heartache, that knew grief and knew loss. Jesus experienced all of that and more. He carried not just the physical cross, but also the many ‘crosses’ of life.

Jesus lost those closest to him; John the Baptist when Jesus was just starting his ministry. Judas when Jesus was facing his most difficult task.

Jesus lost his dignity when his accusers stripped him naked and beat him.

And Jesus ultimately lost his life on the cross. And through that loss, he gained eternity. Eternity with the Father for all of us. His loss, was our gain.

In life we will all have to bear the cross called ‘loss’. Don’t despair, and don’t give up or give in. Follow in the footsteps of Jesus, he carried his cross to the end. We should too.