Winter is in full force here in the northern hemisphere. (And my friends who live in the southern hemisphere are feeling the heat of summer!) From seasons to sunrises, we are surrounded by rhythms and cycles of all kinds.
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Earth's orbit moves us from summer to fall to winter.
Our planet spins, moving us from day to night.
Tides come in and out.
The moon waxes and wanes.
Our muscles contract and relax.
Our hearts pump and pump again while lungs inhale and exhale.
We wake and we sleep.
(The teenagers eat and sleep and eat again... 
)
We work and we rest.
You might be expecting me to quote Ecclesiastes 3 right about now, but I'm actually thinking about Lamentations 3:22-23.
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
It's such an extraordinary contrast to the always shifting seasons of the earth and moods of people.
God's love - His HESED - never stops or runs out.
His compassion never ends.
His mercy, love, and compassion are new-renewed-fresh every morning, over and over and over again because his faithfulness-trustworthiness-
His love isn't like my phone battery that weakens and has to recharge. His mercy never dies! It will never be exhausted. And we get to experience it anew - afresh, every morning and every moment we turn to seek Him.
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When clouds and rain try to hide the sun, we can still see the light.
Even if it seems like winter will last forever, spring WILL eventually come (with summer hot on its heels!)
Our hearts will keep beating as long as we live.
The tides will keep rising and falling.
(The teenagers will keep eating and sleeping and eating.)
As much as we can find comfort in the predictable rhythms of life in our bodies and around us, we can find comfort in the consistency of God's love and His faithful presence and goodness to us.
Whether you feel like your new year is off to a great start or not, God's mercy is available to you right now.
I hope you will take a few moments right now to pause. Close your eyes. Inhale, and exhale, and soak in His love...
Father God,
Thank You for your mercy that is unending and constant in ways that are beyond my comprehension. You are so good to us. Let us trust in Your goodness as we walk into this week, this month, this year, and beyond.
In Jesus Name, Amen.
