After being robbed, life is unsettling in many ways. I feel exhausted. I feel scattered. I feel vulnerable.

The initial realization so much had been taken was an excruciating punch in the gut. But slaps in the face continue with each little item we realize is missing.

I reach for my favorite necklace and remember it’s gone forever.

My sister wants to exercise but no longer has tennis shoes.

I’ll need to buy new ice packs to keep lunch boxes cold.

That’s just the beginning of the list of insignificant things. We have the list of large, expensive items for insurance purposes. But we’re counting the little things too as we grieve our losses. Yet in the midst of crisis, we have determined to make a choice.

We choose to count what remains.

I thought my favorite book filled with personal notes was gone, but it was in my daughter’s bag. The glass paper weights we made were shipped directly to our home. I still have my souvenir coaster that reminds me of Mom.

We all arrived home, safe and healthy, together.

We choose to make another choice. We choose to remember that the stuff of earth is a mere glimpse of eternal realities.

We choose to count what will always remain.

“And now these three remain: faith, hope, love. But the greatest of these is love.”

I Corinthians 13:13

As I count what remains, I pray.

In faith, I defiantly worship and choose to believe Jesus is everything I need.

In hope, I thank God for the transformation He is working in our hearts through this trial.

In love, I intercede for the thieves. I stand in the gap for them. I beg God for their salvation and redemption.

My sisters ask God to give their sippy cups, diapers, and treasured stuffed monkey to a mom desperate to care for her baby. We ask that my daughter’s jacket give warmth to someone otherwise cold. I ask that someone find my trashed writing journal, filled with Scripture, and receive a treasure of Truth.

What loss are you grieving?

A person? An ideal situation? Peace and quiet? Material things? Innocence? Good health? Earlier life stage? A relationship? Desired expectations?

Grieve the loss. You must grieve if your heart is to return to rest. But don’t stop there.

Grief always threatens to lead our hearts away from rest.

The threat will become reality if we allow it. We must make an intentional choice to not slip into despair and fear. After counting and grieving our losses, we must choose to count what remains.

An opportunity always remains.

There is always an opportunity for faith, hope and love.

Choose to count what remains.

Today’s Seed of Rest:

Choose to count faith, hope and love.

Identify a loss you are currently grieving, big or small.

List the ways you can count how faith, hope and love remain.