Always~Never

What's the point of a telling a good story without an

                                            ..."always" 
                                                                and a
                                                                           ..."never"

                                                                                         thrown in every few sentences?

Yes, the X chromosome has mastered the art of always and never (otherwise known as-exaggeration!). Those two little words elicit edge-of-your-seat suspense when recounting an otherwise average story, don't they?

We are in good company, ladies! We happen to serve a God of extreme words. The pages of Scripture are brimming with His extremes, although never with exaggeration!

          "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who
                 love him, who have been called according to His purpose."       
                                                                                       Romans 8:28(NIV)

         "Rejoice in the Lord...
                                          always.
                                                I will say it again. Rejoice!"  Philippians 4:4 (NIV)

          "So this is what the Sovereign LORD says: 'See, I lay a stone in Zion...
                                  a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation;
                                                   the one who trusts will never be dismayed.'"
                                                                                               Isaiah 28:16(NIV)

          "I have set the LORD always before me.
                                        Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken."
                                                                                                Psalm 16:8(NIV)

Life is extreme and I need a God who is not wishy-washy about His commitment to me. But, hand-in-hand, He is a God expectant of extreme commitment from His followers. As His follower, I want to "set Him always before me," for He is my light.

Always is somehow a word that becomes too extreme when it's in reference to my responsibility, isn't it? In fact, just yesterday I begged the Lord for a day off from always. I didn't feel well, I was grumpy, we had some unexpected issues arise with our children, and I just wanted to wallow in it without reproach! The irony is, what I needed most was my Lord always before me. I needed, "I will never leave you, nor forsake you" (Joshua 1:5). I needed, "Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you" (1 Peter 5:7).  

Always encompasses the hum-drum days as well as the extremes of life. We can rest assured, however, that despite our inadequacy with always and never, the Lord is really always true to His word. In His infinite mercy, "His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is His faithfulness" (Lam. 3:22b-23). May we walk today, and all the tomorrows to come, with Him always before us!