"Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." Lamentations 3:22-23 (NIV)
I awoke this morning to a quiet house. Even though the sun had not yet fully risen, my husband was already hard at work. My daughter, who is currently staying with us, was sound asleep, as were the two dogs and our bird. The only sound that I could hear were the birds singing outside and the gentle sound of my wind chimes as they played in the breeze.
As I looked around the room I realized how full and blessed my life truly is. I have a safe and dry place to lay my head each night. No matter what happened yesterday, today is a new day with its own precious moments to open as if they were wrapped packages. Every breath drawn is a gift of life granted by my Father above and an opportunity to love Him and to love others.
During the last two months we have had daily reminders of the fragility of our human existence. Each news report brings a new count of those affected by, or whose lives have been taken by, this virus that has threatened our country. As we see states allowing businesses to re-open and quarantines to end, many are experiencing understandable fear about venturing back out and resuming normal activities.
I wish I had wise advice to counter the fear. I don't. But the Lord has assured us all that He is in control and that He will always be with us. Repeatedly, His Word instructs us, "Do not be afraid." We need to put our trust in Him. He is the same God that He has always been. If He was able to protect us before and during this trying time, then He is more than able to protect us now.
We have no way of knowing what will happen tomorrow. We can't even predict what will happen in the next hour. But we can rest assured that in this moment He is by our side and will remain there in all of the moments that come after. Just as we could call for our parents when we were frightened children, so we can call on Him and He will answer. It is important to stay in the present and not attempt to project ourselves into the future. In so doing we can be aware of His mercy and compassion rather than fretting about things that may never happen.
So, today, be grateful. Today, listen to the birds, smell the fragrant blooms, feel the breeze play across your skin and love those around you. Make the most of now. Spend time with the One that sacrificed Himself so that we could have life and have it abundantly. Rejoice that the sun is shining one more time and praise the Creator for making it happen. Nothing will happen today, or ever, that He will be surprised by, nor will He ever leave you to navigate life alone. His compassion is too great and His mercies too numerous to count. God bless.
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