“Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ…” Philippians 3:8
“Diagnosis: laryngitis,” is what the doc declared after examining my swollen tonsils this past Sunday. As you can imagine, losing your voice as a singer is pretty inconvenient; I have had to forfeit some singing commitments this week, which doesn’t feel great. But as I’ve been reflecting and listening over the past few days, I’ve felt my heart being examined with this question: Do you treasure Jesus above all else? It’s easy to answer that question with a resounding YES when all is well, but in the face of this little loss I’ve found myself wondering if I truly believe that Jesus is better than anything in this world. How can Jesus be better than the gift of music that I enjoy so much? What about my husband who I adore? Or the comforts of home and safety? If I’m honest, it’s these things that I want more than anything. But inevitably they fail me. My voice fails, my husband fails, my safety is compromised, etc. but the one thing that never fails me is the love of God that He has shown me in His Son Jesus. He has graciously reminded me of Romans 5:8 that says, “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: WHILE WE WERE STILL SINNERS, Christ died for us.” I was under the curse of my sin and completely deserving of eternal damnation… BUT GOD, being rich in love and mercy saved me! Jesus, the spotless Lamb, was crucified so that the wrath of God against sin would be turned away from me and appeased forever! And what is more, God raised Jesus from the grave, showing His power over the curse of sin and promising a new resurrected and righteous life for all who will believe in Him! By faith in Jesus, I am free from sin’s penalty, I am an heir with Christ, I am a beloved child of the Living God, I have the hope of heaven and an inheritance of innumerable riches awaiting me in glory! Yes, Jesus is better! Oh that my feeble heart would remember this truth. Jesus is better! And may we all have divine eyes to see our little losses as opportunities to preach the Gospel to our souls and treasure Christ more than anything so that we are ready for the inevitably bigger trials of life. When it’s even harder to believe in God’s goodness and when there is no hint of Him working some kind of good from evil, we will have practiced and seen His superiority and goodness. Oh that these little losses would prove to be little graces that fill our hearts with a greater understanding of the incomprehensible love of our Lord Jesus.
“Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you.” Psalm 63:3