Serve or Sour
There once was a lady named Anna who had experienced some terrible losses in her life. She had become a widow after being married only seven years with no descendants to take care of her in her old age. But she turned to God in her pain and God fulfilled her greatest promise. The story of Anna is short, but quite life-changing:
"Anna, a prophet, was also there in the Temple. She was the daughter of Phanuel from the tribe of Asher, and she was very old. Her husband died when they had been married only seven years. Then she lived as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the Temple but stayed there day and night, worshiping God with fasting and prayer. She came along just as Simeon was talking with Mary and Joseph (Jesus' parents), and she began praising God. She talked about the child to everyone who had been waiting expectantly for God to rescue Jerusalem" (Luke 2:36 NLT).
As I read these few sentences about a woman who had lost everything but also found everything she desired in a moment when she beheld the long-awaited Messiah as a babe, it made me wonder how I respond in my own life to seasons of loss. It also made me ask myself: In seasons of loss, do I choose to sour or do I choose to serve?
First, I find in this brief description of Anna's life that she (1) Lost everything. Yet, in the midst of her pain and loss, Anna also decided (2) To serve God and serve others. During that time of Jewish history, the Israelites were required by Jewish law to come to the Temple in Jerusalem to make animal sacrifices for their sins. The priests would perform the sacrificial ceremonies, but servants, like Anna, would clean up the blood, carcasses and remains after each sacrifice. Beyond the daily tasks Anna had as a lowly servant in the Temple, she also spent all her spare time in prayer, fasting and worship. She knew that (3) God would fill the emptiness of her heart and fulfill her greatest desire to see the Messiah as she served him daily.
Reading this story brought memories back of what I experienced ten years ago when I felt like I lost everything. I went through a very painful divorce, lost my job and had no where to stay. I felt like my life was over and I could go no further. But during that bleak time, I found a church where I could be refreshed, have my faith renewed in both God and people, and find a new purpose. As I served others, God filled me with a new joy for living and showed me that I could have a new life after pain and loss.
So, let me ask you today, when all is lost where do you run to and who do you seek? Do you look for ways to serve others or do you choose to sour in the seasons of loss and pain?
