(10 Min read)

Navigating Love & Loss in My Twenties

Love & Loss are experiences that shape everyone’s life, yet they exist in very different ways. LOVE is something we choose and nurture through our actions, care, and commitment, while LOSS often arrives beyond our control, changing us whether we are ready or not. Understanding this difference is important, because it helps us see where our power lies and where acceptance is needed. By learning how to hold onto love while navigating loss, we can grow stronger, more resilient, and more aware of what truly matters.

This year has been filled with lessons on love and loss. I’ve lost some things I held dearest to my heart. Beginning of 2025, I lost a friend over something small, and the silence that followed was heavy. In March, I last spoke with my grandma on my 20th birthday. My Grandma, my best friend, and hero- passed away on the 4th, three days later, also, the day before my dad’s heavenly birthday. I remember speaking with her, leading up to this painful moment about the fears I had of loosing her. She always found a way to console my worries, even though I knew she was most likely terrified herself. However, I like to think that my Grandma got to be with my Dad and wish him a Heavenly Happy Birthday, that brings me great comfort ♡ For my Grandma’s funeral, not under ideal circumstances, I got to see each of my brothers. We were all together for the first time in a couple years!! Distance from my family since this moment, made my heart sore. Stolen time, leaving me feeling lost even among my own family.

I learned through these experiences that love also keeps us connected to others. Loss can make people withdraw or shut down, but choosing love encourages reaching out, accepting support, and offering consideration to those who are grieving alongside us. A verse my Grandma held close to heart is Psalms 34: 18 says, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Love softens our heart instead of hardening it. Loss can either close our hearts or deepen our empathy, it helps transform suffering into growth, making us more gentle, patient, and human. Love allows us to heal from our losses.

Searching for Peace While I’m in Pieces

Tribulations make us resilient, they help us to see the bigger picture. But, sometimes, you lose a part of who you thought you were, with the thing that was taken from you. This happens because you have a special bond made with that person or thing. A piece of you is missing, which causes your whole person to fall apart. How do you find peace when it feels like you’re broken into a million pieces? Well, this is what I learned from having to build myself up time after time…

1. Your heart must be broken, for it to open up
2. Be vulnerable with others and honest with yourself
3. Decide carefully what you allow inside of your heart again
4. Whatever you let in, will flow freely from it

When I think about heartbreak, it’s not an exciting feeling or anything I look forward to. Emotional pain can lead to growth. When your heart breaks, you become more aware and empathetic. That openness helps you understand yourself and others more deeply. By acknowledging those setbacks, you take the first step toward healing and growth. Being vulnerable means allowing yourself to be open about your feelings instead of hiding them. Honesty with yourself helps you recognize what’s really hurting or holding you back. Vulnerability and Honesty builds emotional strength and self-awareness. It also helps create deeper, more supportive connections with others.

Pay attention to what you allow into your mind like your thoughts, influences, and emotions. By protecting your heart, you make choices that bring peace to yourself and others. Avoid negativity, toxic relationships, or harmful habits that can cloud your heart. Instead, surround your heart with love, kindness, and truth. Proverbs 4:23 says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” This means your thoughts, feelings, and desires shape your actions and life. Whatever floats around in our inner lives will inevitably affect our outer life, so let’s fill it with the right things!! Living this way helps you respond calmly, stay focused, and maintain inner peace.

Finding Joy in My Current Circumstances

There is no denying that life is difficult, but we have the resources necessary within us to get us though it with more ease. Finding joy in my current circumstances means learning to be grateful with where I am, even if life isn’t exactly how I imagined it. It’s about slowing down and noticing the little things that still make me smile each day. I try to focus on what I can control, like choosing happiness, instead of stressing about what I can’t change. Celebrating small wins helps me feel more positive and grounded. I remind myself that tough moments don’t last forever. Spending time with people I care about makes things feel lighter. I also give myself grace when things feel hard. By staying present and kind to myself, I can find joy right where I am.

An example of this is: Even though all my brothers came for my grandma’s funeral, I got to be with all of them again. An answered prayer at a shocking time. James 1:2-4 says, “Consider it pure JOY, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” This means all of life’s obstacles are building your character up, working for a better you and ultimately a better life. My Grandma always repeated, “God is the man with the plan.” This verse gives me immense self-confidence in trials, because I get to prove my faith and in return I get perseverance. People get to see me as a light, a reliable guide through tough times.

I want people to see my smile, know my struggles, and recognize that I am not easily wavered by hardship. There are still things to be joyful about, morning tea/coffee can bring simple routine. A kind message to, or from a loved one reminds us that we are not alone. The smell of fresh food or a favorite snack can bring instant comfort. Laughter over something small, like a joke or memory, lifts the heart. Quiet moments of peace help us smile and feel grateful. It is all about perspective, whatever you look for, you’ll find. So seek the JOY in daily life!!

How Grace & Humility Work Together

Grace and humility work together by shaping how a person treats both themselves and others. Grace allows us to show kindness, forgiveness, and understanding even when it is not earned. Humility helps us recognize our own limits and accept that we are not better than anyone else. Without humility, grace can turn into pride or a desire to seem superior. Without grace, humility can become harsh self-criticism or silence. When combined, grace softens the heart while humility keeps it grounded. Together, they encourage empathy, patience, and respect in relationships. This partnership shows that true strength comes from kindness balanced with self-awareness.

As a daughter in Christ, I love this verse in Colossians 3:12-13 says, “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” Forgiveness is the ultimate form of grace through humility, whether it be with ourselves or others. Deciding to release the desire for control and choosing growth over pride. We must always forgive so we can be free from resentment and/or judgement. This path extinguishes any future fires either within relationships or your relationship with yourself.

I’ve noticed with people who lack both grace and humility, they are super destructive to this world, they lack control and genuineness. Their lives are miserable and negativity engulfs them. They have a superiority complex and failure to be honest with themselves and others, causing them to have no real connection. This is not a way to live or lead. We are called to stay calm in every situation. listen to others and value their thoughts without judgment. Accept your mistakes and learn from them quietly. Let your actions reflect respect and thoughtfulness, not pride. Both work in harmony.

My Final Reflections for 2025 ♡