welcome, march!

march 1, 2018.

the start of march brings the beginning of spring, showing newness of life and hope.

outside is evidence that spring is coming-  warmer weather, green grass, flowers blooming. this new season also marks a newness in my life.

the past two months have not been easy, but i have grown so much from everything that has happened… and i’m ready to bloom.

my biggest goal for 2018 was to read my Bible every day. not just to read it, but to grow closer to God and to grow spiritually.

in reading my Bible the past 59 days, i have grown so much already. the joy of the Lord has really become my strength and His peace has really surpassed all my understanding.

but i realized last night as i read psalm 100 that over the past two months, God has led me to passages that constantly remind me of His steadfast love and faithfulness.

especially after being disappointed and let down by someone i thought was a friend, God continued to remind me that He is not, will not, and never will leave me or stop loving me.

people are sinful.

it is hard to remember that most of the time, but it is brought back to the forefront of my mind when someone i once trusted lets me down.

but the amazing thing is that God never breaks His promises!

and He has promised never to leave or forsake me!

“for the Lord is good; His steadfast love endures forever, and His faithfulness to all generations.” -psalm 100:5

as a writer, i try to focus on the specific meanings of words to then understand the passage as a whole. and as i kept reading verses about God’s faithfulness and steadfast love, i began to think about what the differences between the words “steadfast” and “faithful”.

i always thought they were the same.

they are not.

“steadfast” means “unchanging” and “steady” while “faithful” means “loyal”.

so while these words are similar, they are so different.

the psalms describe God’s love as steadfast. His love is unchanging. His love is a solid rock that is immoveable.

and He is faithful. He is loyal. He is true to His promises.

both characteristics equally describe God but they are not the same.

He is steadfast AND faithful.

His love endures forever. He will never leave me.

when people disappoint me and let me down, it may hurt for a little while, but i am ok because i know that God will never disappoint me.

His plans may be different than mine or His ways to those plans might be different, but i am ok with that.

my life is not my own. i belong to Him.

i am His vessel.

being in the Word has changed my mentality so much.

i know that i am here for a reason and that no matter what happens i have God.

i don’t know what God has in His plan for me.

i don’t know what the next six months hold.

but i know that as long as i continue to grow and follow God’s plan it’ll be ok.

He is the constant in my life.

He loves me unconditionally.

He will never leave me.

He always keeps His promises.

He died so i could live.

and because of this, i know i can face tomorrow.