A Reminder of God’s Steadiness

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” (Lamentations 3:22-24, ESV)

“But You [God] remain the same, and Your years will never end.” (Psalm 102:27, AMP)

Having children is no joke. They will stretch you, they will challenge you, and they will push you to places mentally, physically, and emotionally that you have never been before.

I think the biggest lesson any parent learns is that everything changes. Nothing about life is designed to stay steady. If you’re a woman, your body changes in order to grow and bring that baby into the world. You gain weight; you find you have more skin, stretch marks, and changes to your body than you ever thought possible. Your body does new things like make milk and pushes the limits of exhaustion during those months and sometimes years that you wake up and settle your children back to sleep. 

Then you face the daunting reality that this child you love to bits also won’t stop changing. They grow and learn and mature. They do new things all the time. Just when you get used to one version of them, they become something else entirely. Like that ABBA song, they’re slipping through your fingers all the time. You can’t stop time and you can’t keep them from changing.

And life continues to teach that lesson. Jobs change. Family moves away. You move away. The dishwasher breaks and you need a new one. Life transitions season to season. 

I have recently been learning this lesson as a mom. When our second daughter was born, Sam and I realized that in some ways, there was more change becoming a family of four than there was becoming a family of three. Much like the first time, we brought home this tiny baby, learning her quirks, tells, and trying to meet her needs for survival. But we also had to help our two year old transition from being the only child to being older sister. For a kid who is used to being the center of our attention, that was a big learning curve. 

Physically, my recovery from that birth was much easier than it was with Piper, but months later, we’re learning that I’m struggling more on the mental front this time around. While my case of postpartum depression seems to be mild compared to what other moms go through, it has greatly affected my family. My barometer for frustration is much lower. My low moments cause me to emotionally bottom out for long periods of time. My inner peace can be challenged very easily and my ability to regulate emotions has gotten harder, which takes a toll on my family and my ability to savor precious moments in being a parent.

This season is becoming a big learning moment for me in putting my hope, my contentment, and my focus on Jesus– the God who never changes. The Savior whose love never ceases. The Creator who is always steadfast and who has no end. 

My emotions change. My body changes. The weather ebbs and flows. My kids will get older and so will my husband and I. Infants and toddlers will become teenagers and young adults. The fingerprints on my sliding glass door will fade and there is nothing anyone can do to hold on to any of it. 

But each change and every new challenge has been sovereignly ordained by our unchanging God who steadfastly loves. Our struggles will change and we will probably fail several times along the way, but His mercies are new and extended to us every morning. 

Depression is something I have never dealt with, not in the capacity I’m dealing with now. But God’s faithfulness to me as His follower and child is the same it has always been. Every day, I need to teach my soul to say, “The Lord is my portion.” Several times a day, actually. Because if God is my portion, then I have all I need and when frustrations creep in and my emotions want to disregulate and go haywire, He is there to be my peace and stability. My hope and stay.

Isaiah 26:3 says, “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast because they trust in You.” 

Putting our minds and hope on the Lord means that we are leaning on the only One who is steady and reliable. He is the same God He was in the beginning, before even the world was made and light was created. He has never, ever changed. 

So when life starts slipping and sliding, spinning out of control, and you’re struggling to adapt, trusting in our steadfast God not only gives us unexplainable peace, but it teaches our mind to be modeled after Him. We may change, but our spirits will be stilled, steady, and content knowing that the Lord is eternally good, lovely, and secure.

My kids may act up and be astonishingly defiant. My body may be two pants sizes larger than I want. My house might be messy. My life might be busy, and my season as a mom might be frustrating and hard to contend with. 

But God is the same. He is my Rock and my Foundation. He is ever-present and His love for me is steadfast. His love for you is the same. 

Whatever change you are in today– whatever stage of transition or uncertainty, turn to Christ and set your mind on Him. He has ordained the challenges you’re facing today, and He is steady to take you through them. Just lean on Him, trust in Him, and be rooted in His Word which is full of assurances that He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.