I read this today: God does not change like shifting shadows
(James 1:17).
Throughout the day, shadows change. We can say, “When the
sun rises in the east, my shadow will be here on the ground,” and, “When the
sun shifts to that part of the sky, my shadow will be there.” But in reality, the sun never moves. The
earth does and so do its clouds.
Here in the Central Valley/San José area, the weather can
change drastically in a short period of time. One minute the mountains are covered
in clouds, the next they’re clear. Our nearly panoramic view of the mountains
all around us at the institute allows us to see drastically different weather
patterns in different directions at once. When we went to the mountains to see
waterfalls, the day changed from cold/cloudy/rainy to hot/sunny and back again.
Our constantly changing feelings, thoughts and situations
are not because God is changing on us. He is always consistent. For example,
our assurance as believers in our salvation can wax and wane (Heb 10:22), yet
from God’s perspective we are always chosen, sealed and written down in the Book
before creation (Eph 1:4, 13-14; Rev 13:8).
Over the past year or so, I’ve been learning the value of
being raw with God about what I feel,
but always anchoring back to what I know and believe. If you read through David’s
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” lament (Psalm 22), you find that
David validates perfectly the coexistence that can and should be had of crying
out in pain and expressing trust.
They are not incompatible! He’s real about what he feels, but anchored in the
reality of how trustworthy and unchanging God has been in the past.
While learning a language in another culture, there are ups
and downs, good days and bad days, moments when you nail it and moments when
you’re dumb. God’s good either way. He stays the same and He gives good gifts.
Check out some pictures from the waterfall park!
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| Click to enlarge |
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