You’re allowed to grieve what God removed. You’re also allowed to trust why.

You: Why does it feel like everything keeps getting taken from me?

God: Because you’re seeing it wrong.

Protection doesn’t always feel good in the moment.

– Jacqueline Whitney

You: What do you mean?

God: What feels like rejection is actually protection. What feels like loss is actually preservation. What feels like doors slamming in your face is me keeping you out of rooms you wouldn’t have survived.

You: It still hurts.

God: I know. Protection doesn’t always feel good in the moment. But trust me — the things that didn’t work out were costing you more than you knew. The people who left were taking more than they were giving. The opportunities that fell through would’ve led you somewhere you didn’t want to end up.

You: I just wish I could see it the way you do.

God: You will. There will come a day when you’ll be standing in the middle of a beautiful chapter and you’ll realize that every “no” I gave you was making room for this “yes.” Every rejection was a redirection. Every loss was a release of something that would’ve kept you stuck.

You: So I’m not being punished?

God: You’re being loved. You’re being protected. You’re being prepared. You’ll see it. Just give it time.

Jacqueline Whitney is the author Held: A 50 Day Devotional For Parents and All That You Deserve.