Finding the Constant in the Crazy

Wow.  I totally dropped the ball last week.  Probably because I was juggling so many of them.  I apologize for not posting the Encouraging Word Wednesday linkup last week, but life happened.  A lot.  It always does, which is why I’ll never be a better blogger.

We were busy.  We were sad.  We had fun.  We didn’t.

We rolled a whole lot of life into the last couple of weeks.

And our community did, too.  There have been people hurting here.  Not necessarily people we know, but people we know of.  I’ve read the social media shares of their friends and families and prayed with them and pondered why things happen the way they do and come up with more questions than answers, as usual.

And in the midst of trying to walk on the uneven ground of rising and falling emotions and navigate the unmarked roads of change, I found stability and strength in one constant thing:

God’s love.

All week, the verse in my heart said, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases.” (Lamentations 3:3 ESV)

How many things in our lives can we truly call “steadfast”?

Death and taxes, right?

Certainly not the affection of others.  We all know what it feels like when someone’s attitude toward us has changed.  We struggle with worry if it seems they love us less.

And the truth of it is that everything changes.  We work in our marriages to keep from loving less because we know it’s a distinct possibility, right?

We’ve seen friends come and go.  We’ve said goodbye to loved ones and longed for one more day.

Because only the Lord lasts forever.

And, his love for your never changes.  It can’t be increased by good behavior or diminished by bad.  It is constant, and so is He.

He says, “Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my convenant of peace be removed.” (Isaiah 54:10)

His love isn’t like mine: up and down with every emotion.  His promises aren’t like mine, either.  He doesn’t forget he made them or change his mind.  “The Lord is faithful to all his promises.” (Psalm 145:13)

Do you need to know that today?  Does the changing world make you long for something steady?

“Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.” (Psalm 105:4)

One of my favorite hymns was always “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus.”  When my parents were going through their divorce, I used to sing these words over and over again to myself:

I hope you’ll join us for Encouraging Word Wednesday today!  Leave a link or two below and take a few minutes to visit another blogger and leave an encouraging comment for them!

I’d also really like to hear how you keep your eyes on Christ during tough times.  Could you share a verse or a tip in the comments?  I’d appreciate it!