Transforming Losses into Lessons

The worst heartbreak I have ever experienced was not over a tall boy with watercolor eyes and curly hair. The worst heartbreak I have experienced was over the person I crafted friendship bracelets with. The girl who chose to call me, out of seven billion people, her best friend. My other half, proved by our matching lockets. Who dove into the grotesque depths of my soul and became my soul sister.

As we grew up, we grew apart. We had made friendship bracelets crafted with beads around a rubber band. Like a stretched rubber band, the pressure was high until, finally, the band snapped. The impact stung the blood vessels on my wrist, flowing straight to my heart. Poets, authors, and songwriters write about the tragic endings of romantic love. None of them teach you how to get over a platonic friendship.

Every time I see her in public, the rubberband sting burns. I do not see my friend; I see a stranger. My whole body vibrates with the ache to reintroduce myself, to find out if, deep down, she is the girl I once knew. If she still remembers our secret code language, understanding me in a way no one else did. However, when I try, it is awkward and tense, bringing us back to the stretched rubber band.

I want to villainize her with every fiber of my being, but I cannot. She is no longer the protagonist in my story, but she can never be the antagonist. She was in my life for a chapter. Now, she is no longer a character. So I smile, and I walk away. I walk away with grace and gratitude for the person who was once a beautiful piece of my life.

If we walk away with grace and gratitude instead of bitterness, God may transform our losses into lessons. Through this heartbreak, He taught me a fundamental truth: Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). He is writing our story with a plan and a purpose, and He will never leave nor forsake us. Worldly love is imperfect and conditional. Jesus loves us so unconditionally, He died for us without knowing if we would love Him in return.

Dear God,

I pray for the person reading this who had a failed relationship or friendship. Transform their loss into a lesson. Help them walk away with grace and gratitude for the person who was once a beautiful part of their life. Within the loss, help them be thankful for you Jesus, who always stays.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen.