My Rock. My Strength. My Refuge.

How often do you wake up and you just don't think you can do it? You just can't make it through another day?

I do. More often than I'd like to say.

I have many mornings when I really, truly want to pull the covers back over my head and hibernate. And it seems those mornings come more and more frequently these days. Sometimes it's because of pain. Sometimes it's because of fatigue. And sometimes, to be honest, it's just because . . .

I remember during my twenty-year rebellion from the Lord, when I had those days (which were a lot less frequent than they are now), I'd fall into a depression. Or sometimes I'd just get mad. Some days, I felt hopeless, without purpose. I look back at those days with a great deal of sadness because I was just lost . . .

Now, when I have those days, like I did last week. I do have hope. And I have even more hope when God includes passages like Psalm 62:5-8 in my daily quiet time.

Look at these words. Really look at them.

Psalm 62
5 My soul, wait silently for God alone,
For my expectation from Him.
6 He only is my rock and my salvation;
He is my defense;I shall not be moved.
7 In God is my salvation and my glory;
The rock of my strength, And my refuge is in God.
8 Trust in Him at all times, you people;
Pour out your heart before Him;
God is a refuge for us

Aren't they great? I know my God is with me. He truly is my rock, my strength, my refuge . . . .

And He's yours, too.

Love is Patient

Over the last several months, my church has been challenging us to memorize scripture. We've memorized the names of the books of the Bible. We've memorized the Beatitudes. This month, we're memorizing the Lord's Prayer.

Last month, it was 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a. You know, love is patient, love is kind . . . Even many non-believers know these verses. I've known them for a long time, but having to really memorize them word-for-word made me think about them more deeply.

I don't think it's an accident that the first definition of love is "patient." I think it's a characteristic of love that's hard for many of us, especially with those with whom we're closest.

Don't we tend to take the ones we love the most for granted? Somehow, it seems since they'll always be there, we don't have to have the patience with them that we do with others. I know I'm guilty of that.

It seems like Russ can push my buttons faster than anyone else in the world, and I can sometimes be short-tempered with him. Those little annoyances that I might just brush off with someone else can sometimes push me over the edge.

I don't want to be that way . . . but sometimes I am.

Do you find yourself doing the same thing? Being impatient with your greatest earthly loves?

Remember that the first on the list is "love is patient" . . . and I'll try to remember too!