Reflecting on a rainy Wednesday night

In these first days of May, at mid-week, on a rainy Wednesday night I reflect that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever(Hebrews 13:8).  This became one of my favorite Scripture verse during the years leading up to my ordination and has helped me more than once.  You know life is so many starts and stops, beginnings and endings and starting over again, and again.  This Scripture verse is so helpful to me because my personality tends to celebrate the "ups" maybe too much(if that's really possible) and then let the "downs" work me over.  Whether it's unreasonable and challenging demands at work, the sometimes overwhelming feeling from a hectic, overbooked schedule, things that do not fall our way; it is most helpful to recall, and even say out loud those words from Hebrews: Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.

And then we all have those glorious days when all is right with the world.  The weather may be perfect, we have plenty in our belly, the sky is blue and the planets are perfectly aligned.  We can rejoice in all of our relationships and harmony seems to be perfectly balanced in our life.  Again, in these happy times, it too is most helpful to recall, and even say out loud those words from Hebrews: Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.

I'm always amazed at how quickly we proclaim to the world that "God has blessed me" or more commonly: "I am truly blessed" when things are right; darn near perfect.  Then we collide head on with those more challenging moments in life; things go wrong, disappointments happen, work may stink, we may be dealing with illness or even the death od someone we love and all of a sudden we don't proclaim "God has blessed me" or "I am truly blessed."  We may even go all the way to the other end of the spectrum: "why is God doing this" or why didn't God do something". 

I have come to realize over the years that it is in those challenges, and hurts and pain, that God not only is still blessing us, but he is drawing ever closer to us.  It is as if He is pulling for us all the greater.  And it's tough; I think I understand that.  But how often do we fail to see God, or experience His presence when we truly need it most.  And as for His only beloved Son, and our Savior Jesus Christ; well, He is the same yesterday, today and forever.

As the rain falls, and the week draws closer to the weekend; as my blessings are abundant and my challenges very real, and some of them scary, I'm cool tonight.  Why?  Because:

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever!