Total Loss

Those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.  Isaiah 40:31

When I was growing up in Donalsonville, our home was full of things which we considered important.  There were family pictures on the wall, china in the hutch, silver flatware in the drawers, special trinkets, etc.  These things were each special to us in their own way.  My Mama treasured most of these things and treated them with much care.  We were encouraged to do the same.

There was an occasion where a neighbor of ours had a small fire in their home, and I remember asking our Mama, “What would you save if there was a fire?  What is the most important thing to you?’  I was making a mental list of material items, but she answered as a mother should, “I would save the three of you.”  I was thinking material things, but she had an understanding of what was truly important.

Recently, my cousin and his family had a house fire.  It was classified by the insurance company as a total loss.  They did lose the structure, the pictures, the dishes, the clothes, and many more material items, but it was not a total loss.  They were able to get everyone out safely, and so they are most fortunate.

The words total loss are used for many things such as cars, investments, businesses, careers, lives,etc., but nothing is a total loss if you can come out of it with your life and your dreams.

There are so many times when we consider everything we have done in this life, and we begin to brand it as a total loss.  At that point, we will feel as if nothing we can do or say will ever pull us out of this despair.  The truth is that nothing is a total loss and no life is over until God says it’s over.  At our lowest point, there is always hope, mercy, and grace from God.

In my cousins’s case, they never considered their life a total loss, just the opposite.  This tragedy has ended in triumph.  They have experienced generosity of friends, help from people everywhere, a new appreciation of family and friends, a sense of God’s hand from their church, and even a new found appreciation for relatives!!  The most important parts of their life are still there,  and they are rebuilding slowly but surely.

My lesson from this is to hold on, God is coming to your aid.  He’s coming to bail you out and set you free.  Never settle for a total loss.