From Loss to Blessing: Finding Hope in Unexpected Places

by | May 15, 2024 | Bible Study, Blog, Devotional, Motivation

I have never been the kind of person who makes friends easily, so growing up, I had very few of them. My family were my friends. I made most of my connections online through my social media posts, where I shared encouraging scriptures and devotionals daily after I completed Junior High more than ten years ago. 

My mum bought me a tablet, which I cherished so much because it made posting blogs and social media content very easy. I loved that tablet. To wake up one morning and realize it had been stolen was devastating. I was heartbroken. I used the tablet to share many inspiring posts on social media. I used it to read my late Aunt’s tribute at her funeral. I had pictures and videos of my puppies on there. There were a lot of memories on there. 

I remember reading Jeremiah 29:11 before bed the night before the tablet was stolen. There was no hope we were going to find whoever stole the tablet, let alone the tablet itself. I prayed some not-so-good prayers, but eventually, through encouragement and prayer, I made peace with it. It was time to move on. The words from Jeremiah 29:11 filled my heart whenever I thought about it, although this wouldn’t make sense until precisely two years later when I moved to the US to start a new life. 

I arrived for the first shift of my first-ever job in the US. My credentials were handed to me, and I realized that my password was the same one I used to unlock my tablet: every letter and number. The company chose our user names and passwords. To me, it was not a coincidence but rather a reminder from God. What I have walked into, the journey I was beginning, was far more incredible than what I had lost. At that moment, Jeremiah 29:11 made sense.

‘For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord . “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. ‘

Jeremiah 29:11

Friends, at times, we go through some hurtful and unfair situations that we think to ourselves that we will never get past. God used that moment to remind me that His plans for my life are far more extensive than anything I have lost. While I continue to face challenging moments like every other human being, God uses moments like these to remind me that He is always by my side and no obstacle is too much for Him.

It’s okay to hurt and cry over unfair circumstances, but there is peace that comes with trusting God with your unfair circumstances. Allow Him to walk you through His plan for your life. Trusting God is never a waste of time; in the end, He will restore everything you have lost. 

I am praying for you today.

Your friend, Edmund.

xx