In Lamentations 3:22-23, the English word new is the Hebrew word hadas. It doesn't just mean again and again, as amazing as that would be. It's new as in different. It means never before experienced. Today's mercy is different from yesterday or the day before or the day before the before. Just as the seasonal flu vaccine changes from year to year, God's mercy changes from day to day. It's a new strain of mercy. ~Mark Batterson, "If"
Ten years ago, we were preparing for yet another trans-Pacific move. These pictures reflect our joy at spending some time in Sydney before we got on the plane bound for Dallas. We didn't know the outcome of Sarah's impending doctor's appointments, and we certainly had no idea that I was about to come down with Zica. But we did have a mentor couple in our branch, the Gebauers, who encouraged us as individuals and as a couple. They are also dear friends and have folded us into their large family.
In college, the Lord provided a similar couple, the McBrides, who were just ahead of us on life's journey. For the last thirty years, they have offered listening ears and a shoulder to cry on. They've also given us lots of adopted kids and grandkids to enjoy.
We don't always have mentor couples nearby, honestly building community still challenges us as we adjust to living in America more. When we returned to Arkansas to drop Olivia off for college, we obviously didn't anticipate a cancer diagnosis and the challenges it would bring. Or that four years later we would still be living in our hometown instead of in the Solomon Islands. Technology offers some fabulous marriage resources like the Gottman Institute and Family Life. But God's mercies are still new, changing to meet what we need in this season of our marriage, bringing the people and resources we need to thrive now.
No comments:
Post a Comment