Can loss be a good thing? I believe so. Of course, that’s easy to say from behind a computer screen. It’s harder to say to the guy who just got fired. Or to the person whose car was stolen. Or to the person who had the huge opportunity that was pulled away from them at the last second.
We all know God wants to take away bad things from us—sins and things that enslave us. But I’m convinced there are even good things that God wants to take away from us. Here are three.
1. Good Things that Are Wrong for Your Future
Imagine two chefs in a kitchen. One is making a pizza; the other is making chocolate chip cookies. It would be easy for the pizza to wonder why it isn’t getting any chocolate chips in the process. Or it would be easy for the cookie dough to wonder why it isn’t getting any of that delicious pepperoni.
Chocolate chips and pepperoni are both good. But chocolate chips aren’t good for a dish that the chef is turning into a pepperoni pizza. And pepperonis aren’t good for dough that the chef is turning into chocolate chip cookies.
God is doing something unique in each of our lives. Some things are right for the recipe; some things aren’t—even good things. Trust that God knows exactly what he’s making of your future, and it won’t be so bad when you lose good things.
2. Good Things that Are Excessive to Your Future
Now imagine that cookie dough sees the chef with a heaping scoop of sugar. All of that sugar seems destined to go into the dough—it’s exciting. But then the chef scrapes off a bunch of sugar from the top of the measuring cup. All of the excess.
That could feel like a loss. But the smart chef knows that too much of a good thing can ruin the recipe. Even though cookies are supposed to be sweet, too much sugar will ruin the dough; it’ll actually taste bad.
Sometimes God removes excess—even things of good excess—that aren’t right for us.
3. Good Things that Aren’t Right for Now
And finally, sometimes it’s just not the right time. In cooking, there’s a proper time to add things to the dish. If it’s too early, the ingredient might lose its shape or the flavor might get lost in the cooking process. If it’s too late, it might not blend properly.
There’s a proper time for everything in cooking, and there’s a proper time for every good thing in your life. Just because you lost something doesn’t mean it won’t come back to your life at the right time.
God is creating a masterpiece with our lives. But we have to be willing to trust that he knows what’s best for us and at the right time.
