And this reminded me of a mighty simple lesson that the Lord taught me once again last week--life is change, God is changeless.
So we hold onto life's ever-vacillating treasures with relaxed, open hands, knowing that those treasures will come and go, grow and diminish, move up and down. But Almighty God is the eternally present, powerful, loving, and faithful I Am. And the good news is, we don't need to desperately try to grasp onto Him, for He holds onto us. And He will never ever let us go. "For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, 'Fear not, I am the One who helps you." (Isa.41:13)
Yes, life means change. "And it came to pass" we read a number of times in the Scripture. And that's a reminder that whatever it is we are going through at the moment--be it wonderful or terrible--it will come to pass. My daddy used to say during those times when life got hard and bleak, "We're going through a rough patch." A rough "patch"--and patches eventually end, right? So you've got to hang in there and keep walking through that patch till you get to the other side.
Well, the other day Mr. Bingley and I went for a walk on the greenway. It was one of those perfect mornings--a tiny hint of a chill in the air, but not so much that I needed mittens (which for wimpy, cold-handed me means above 60). Just a sweatshirt, my ipod, and Mr. B.
And life was so good. As we walked, the birds chirped happily, the gentle breeze in the air felt heavenly, and the dawn of a new day seemed full of promise and joy. I was even listening to a terrific podcast by one of my favorite ministers. I succinctly remember thinking, "Now this is what I'm talking about! This is soooo good!"
Uh, that is until we got to the far end of the greenway and turned around for the wonderful walk back...not. You see, as we turned--me in my happy place and thinking that all's right with the world--the wind suddenly (and I mean SUDDENLY) started blowing to beat the band. Wow, I was thinking, how about that wind....but isn't it refreshing!...
...until about 30 seconds later when the first raindrops began to fall. Maybe I should rephrase that: when the deluge broke, absolutely soaking Bingley and moi. WHAT?? We started running (okay at my age that would be jogging...or at least walking really, really briskly) as I had my cell phone in one pocket and my ipod in the other. Technology does not seem to do well in soaking rains. Oh, and did I mention that the temperature felt like it dropped 20 degrees in under a minute? I'm totally not kidding. My wimpy hands went from just fine thank you to frozen solid in a matter of moments. As we ran, Bingley looked back at me with a quizzical expression on his face. I think he may have even dropped the log he was carrying at the time, as this clearly seemed like an emergency situation since his mama was actually running (okay jogging, well alright walking briskly, for pete's sake).
We arrived home just in time...for the rain to stop. Totally stop. One minute it's pouring, the next it's sunny. Seriously. Bingley and I are wondering, what exactly just happened?
Soaked and chilled to the bone, we staggered inside. Phone still working, thank goodness, but not so sure about the old ipod. Oh well.
But as we dried off and warmed up, it occurred to me: that's life, isn't it? Change. Unexpected interruptions. Unplanned surprises--some welcome, others not so much. But through it all, God is forever faithful. Never changing. Always loving. Infinite in grace and mercy. Endlessly powerful.
"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." (Heb.13:8) "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change." (James 1:17)
Yeah sure, the weather changes, your children change, your health changes, your finances change, your energy changes, your relationships change, your work changes...but God is changeless, eternal, and forever and perfectly faithful. Aren't you glad?
Whatever you might be enjoying--or enduring--right now, hang on (or hang in there) because it will come to pass...but Your Redeemer, Savior, and Friend will never leave you nor forsake you. (Heb.13:5) He promises to stick closer than a brother (Prov.18:24). And He will. Forever and ever.
To God be the glory.
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