Immense in Love

Psalm 86:15 - "But you, O God, are both tender and kind, not easily angered, immense in love, and never, never quit."

I have seen God's unfailing, ever-faithful, immense love in the people around me recently.  I've received encouragement and support from everyone in my life, and this has meant so much to me.  I've appreciated every text, every note, every prayer, every hug, every moment of shared laughter.  All of this is God providing for me through his children who are abiding in him.  He teaches them how to love, and they show his love to me.  Thanks for helping to hold me together, family.

"Love will hold us together, make us a shelter to weather the storm.  And I'll be my brother's keeper so the whole world will know that we're not alone." - Matt Maher

Fallen Leaves

This weekend in my hometown, autumn was in full force as half-bare trees stood like statues in the chilly air.  Every year yellow, red, and green leaves fall from their branches and leave only the trunk and its naked branches starkly exposed.  It's a pattern, a cycle.

As I look back on recent years, it seems this same process has taken place in my life each autumn since I started college.  Some years the shedding of leaves has seemed more manageable and bearable, and others it has felt the leaves were ruthlessly ripped from the branches to which they clung.

When the leaves hit the ground, standing up strong is the tree itself.  The trunk, the branches.  The framework on which all the rest of life hangs.  No matter what I have or don't have, God still stands.  He's constant, and He's strong.  I feel bare and confused now, but He's teaching me something. God is developing something in me so that when spring finally comes I will blossom and bear fruit, hopefully more than before.

Psalm 74:16-17 (Message) You own the day, you own the night; you put stars and sun in place. You laid out the four corners of earth, shaped the seasons of summer and winter.

A Future Filled with Hope

One month away from being a college graduate, I spent a great deal of time today applying to positions in the food industry.  It felt a little like going backwards.  At times I feel I'm forever stuck in "student-hood" and always transitioning from one thing to the next, each more temporary than meaningful.

Jeremiah 29:11-14 (CEB)
I know the plans I have in mind for you, declares the LORD; they are plans for peace, not disaster, to give you a future filled with hope. When you call me and come and pray to me, I will listen to you. When you search for me, yes, search for me with all your heart, you will find me. I will be present for you, declares the LORD, and I will end your captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have scattered you, and I will bring you home after your long exile, declares the LORD.