Loss History - Day 26

Loss History
Day 26

Dr. H. Norman Wright recommends writing a "loss history" to help you identify and work through past losses. Take time to think of and list any losses you have experienced throughout the course of your life. Include an instances where you felt a sense of loss, no matter how unimportant the circumstances may seem now. Think of missed promotions, friends moving away, the deaths of pets, the ends of friendships, job losses, children leaving home, and lost opportunities.

After you have identified each loss, go down through the list and talk about each one (to God or to another person). Talk about how intense it was and how you felt at the time. Take your time doing this. You may need to plan a time each day or week to work through your list.

"If you find there's an emotional connection to some loss," says Dr. Wright, "then maybe you have not really processed it. Maybe it's still affecting your life in some way."

Dr. Wright suggests that you need to come to the point at which you can say of each loss, "Yes, that happened to me, but now I'm going on with my life," compared to "Boy, that happened to me, and it still hurts."

"Remember the days of old" (Deuteronomy 32:7)

God, I didn't realize how much my past losses were affecting me now. Use this exercise to help me recognize and come to terms with each loss on my list. Amen.

~This day's chore is one that isn't taken lightly and will take more thought and time to process and react. I will update when I have made a list and then written down reactions.