Loss and Separation — An Opportunity

Nevertheless I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away,… — John 16:7

A best friend may move across the country, a loved one or family member may die, or you may grow apart from someone. Loss and separation is a big part of the human experience, but it is hard to imagine what the disciples thought upon hearing Jesus’s words at the Last Supper. They had given up all they had to follow Jesus for three years, and now he was telling him not only he was leaving them, but “the hour is coming when those who will kill you.” (John 16:2).

Imagine the sadness, fear, and sorrow at that moment. Change is difficult enough, but when it includes loss or separation from those closest to us it is hard to fathom. Who will replace that friend, family member, or loved one? Who will support us and care for us?

I suspect the disciples didn’t understand what Jesus was telling them when he said he would send them an Advocate? (John 16:7). Nor do we understand at first that loss and separation don’t end a relationship, rather it opens the way to discover more about ourselves and our relationships.

Loss and separation although difficult to fathom, are also an opportunity for growth and expansive love.

 

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About the author

Webb Hubbell is the former Associate Attorney General of The United States. His novels, When Men Betray, Ginger Snaps, A Game of Inches, The Eighteenth Green, and The East End are published by Beaufort Books and are available online or at your local bookstore. When Men Betray won one of the IndieFab awards for best novel in 2014. Ginger Snaps and The Eighteenth Green won the IPPY Awards Gold Medal for best suspense/thriller. His latest, “Light of Day” will be on the bookstands soon.