constancy

\ˈkän(t)-stən(t)-sē\

noun

the state of being constant; changelessness

steadfastness, as in purpose or affection; faithfulness.

God is immutable. Sounds like a simple, easy-to-understand sentence, yet how can one contain God to a sentence? In Knowing God, Packer is right when he says that God's life doesn't change. Neither does His character, His truth, His ways, His purposes, and His Son. The earth and the heavens "will perish, but you [God] will remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away, but you are the same, and your years have no end." (Psalm 102:26-27).

We blossom and flourish as leaves on the tree,

And wither and perish - but naught changeth Thee.

(from the Immortal, Invisible God Only Wise Hymn)

Do you ever think about this...how CONSTANT God is? We're all busy. We've got places to go and people to see. You might read this blog post quickly and get on with your day. And that's fine. I do it too. But how often do I honestly sit still, and know that He is God? Turn off that blasted cell phone. Shut that to-do-list notebook for a second. Get up even 15 minutes earlier to be still and acknowledge who God is! Right now, there are so many things occupying my mind and yours. My natural tendency would not be to ponder God's constancy in the midst of my busy-busy attitude, but He has reminded me of it lately.

If God is steadfast, why worry? If God is unchanging, why set our minds on any earthly thing? If God is who He says He is, why must we wallow in discontent and sorrow? God's constancy provides us such comfort and HOPE. The hope of the gospel of Jesus Christ IS "big enough to cover the whole area of our need." (Packer) That's what this life is about.

"Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty,

who was and is and is to come!"

(Revelation 4:8b)

Here's a good related song.

And an even better version of it by Maggie Rose Amini.

images

watermelon with a summer afternoon storm

A couple weeks ago, we ate at Sister #2's place.

new puppies, hard squeezes, a couple drops and plops

a farm boy about to jump

This week, we visited Sister #1 and #4 in Manhattan. This [free] splash park was a big hit!!

talkin' trash

There are some things in life you must experience before you fully understand. One of those things is the reason why anyone might want to talk trash to an animal.

I did it.

I even jabbed my fingers down at him.

And if I didn't kick the trailer he was in, I sure wanted to.

Billy is a rented ram. He bleats in a higher pitch than the ewes, yet he has a horrible domineering attitude. If we come close to the pen, he starts butting his head around like he's-da-ram. He even struts around the ewes with an I'm-yo-daddy kind of ego. So, when Billy peed in front of the stock trailer yesterday and lifted his front lip, baring his teeth with his head held high, we cringed and our anger boiled.

Sheep are typically dumb animals. Billy is no exception...except that he wasn't dumb enough to buy into our luring. Before we started, it seemed a simple task to move him from the pen to the trailer. Oats and corn would surely do the trick. They didn't. Sheep are also vulnerable animals. Sheep are easy to disable if you grab their far rear flank with one hand and extend your other hand under their neck. Uh...I guess this is easy with lambs. We had a little trouble with this 175-pound ram. He protested by going limp.

Sixty minutes into this 95-degree endeavor, our patience ran out. Jared mustered up all his strength and pulled the ram into the trailer. Problem #54: How does one shut the trailer door with four fat ewes in the way? Despite Jared's kicking and shoving the ram while I squished the ewes trying to get the trailer door shut, Billy jumped out. You can imagine our frustration and the fury.

Ninety minutes in...beginning the whole process again, we finally succeeded, slamming that trailer door shut so hard it would've broken a leg had one been stuck in the door. I made a fist and yelled, "YESSSS!!!!!!!!!" Jared leaned his arm on the trailer, shook his head and smiled. And I talked trash to that ram.

(No pictures today.) :)

P.S. I didn't cuss. I promise.