Always & Never

When I was growing up, my parents instilled in me to be careful of my words. They would not allow me to say things my friends were saying, like "Oh, my gosh," or even, "Oh, my word." Once I said, "Good grief," and my dad admonished me that grief wasn't good so why was I saying that? He was strict about making sure that our yes was yes and our no was no. In his mind, other words were superfluous and unnecessary. He took his guidelines from Jesus' words in the Sermon on the Mount that anything beyond the yes and no comes from the evil one. 

Another "thing" of his was to never use the words "never" and "always". When Andy and I were receiving our pre-marital counseling, this was advised to us, as well, that in our arguments/disagreements, we should refrain from these ultimate words. This is really good advise if you think about it, for "never" and "always" indicate no wiggle room. And who of us, in reality, always in every case do a certain thing; or conversely, never do it? These words are commonly used but rarely true. They are usually used as accusations to gain the upper hand in an argument, but in reality, are exaggerations to make a point.

But there is One of whom we can say is ALWAYS with us and NEVER fails us. Scripture is pretty clear about this and reiterates it over and over again.

 And think about the love of God. It ALWAYS protects, ALWAYS trusts, ALWAYS hopes, ALWAYS perseveres. Love NEVER fails.

These are beautiful promises to remember when we are going through the deep waters of affliction. His grace gives me eyes to see the love of God in every affliction as well as in prosperity. 

Psalm 25:10 - "ALL the ways of the LORD are loving and faithful for those who keep the demands of his covenant."

I finished reading through Be Still, My Soul for the second time. I can't recommend this book enough to anyone who is going through deep trials. The readings are short enough but deep and insightful, written by great men and women of faith. In chapter 20, J.I. Packer's devotional, titled Hoped-for Healing, teaches on the 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 passage where Paul talks about his thorn in the flesh. He felt so weak because of that thorn, but Jesus assured him that His grace was sufficient for him, that His power was perfected in weakness.

Packer says that God uses chronic pain and weakness, along with other afflictions, as his chisel for sculpting our lives. Felt weakness deepens dependence on Christ for strength each day. The weaker we feel, the harder we lean. And the harder we lean, the stronger we grow spiritually, even while our bodies waste away.

When I read that about leaning, I couldn't help but remember how one of our daughters used to like to sit close to me during church or as we read stories on the couch. And when I say, "close," I mean leaning hard into my side. I loved it, though, and never minded her leaning into me. It indicated her need to be loved. 

And now when we take family pictures, there are certain grandchildren who lean into us as we sit next to them. And it warms my heart to think they enjoy our nearness. Is this how God feels when we his children long to lean into his arms? I think so. He loves us lavishly and it warms his heart when we love him back, leaning into him, trusting his loving arms. 

And we're not the only ones who lean. God leans into us, too. His heart is toward us. He stoops to his children. He hems us in, behind and before. He lays his hand upon us.

So both parties lean: the one needing protection, the other to be the Protector. 

I always noticed in pictures of Andy and me together, how he leaned toward me. Granted, I'm a lot shorter than he is, but I'm inclined to believe he leans more because his heart is always toward me. 

I didn't post this yesterday because we were just a little busy. All our daughters and their families came down to have some together time. Andy's mom and dad came over and joined us. That made 20 people all together. What a time we had: lots of laughter, fun, play, eating, teasing, running in and out, joking around. 

Tom, The Grill Master

Two little cousin friends at their own little table

My Pink Buddy

I couldn't help but notice there were moments when Andy seemed like his old self. He even jumped in before we ate to get everyone's attention and lead in prayer for the meal. That hadn't happened the last several times we were all together.

Well, these diseases are unpredictable. You NEVER know what will happen next but should ALWAYS be on the alert.