CERTAIN love

CERTAIN means:

fixed, settled, dependable, reliable
known or proved to be true : indisputable
assured in mind or action


a CERTAIN love. a love that is fixed, settled, dependable, reliable, proven to be true, known to be true, indisputable. a love that is assured in mind or action--doesn't decide from day to day whether to love or not--it is consistent and unwavering. Even more dependable as the dawn breaking and the sun setting is certain love. Even stronger than a mountain that cannot be moved even by the most severe of winds is this love.

That's how God loves. The God kind of Love never fails. If it is really love, it can't be uncertain...because real love is never uncertain. Real love walks through uncertain situations without compromising itself. Real love is certain, and in that certainty, it is fierce. It is not safe. It can be soft if that is what is necessary. It can let go if that's what is best for the other person. But it never caves in. It never runs. It never breaks covenant or walks away.

Starry Night

Van Gogh made that phrase famous, but instead of allowing the stars to inspire hope, he allowed his heart to get weighed down with grief. Tonight, as I looked at the night sky, I remembered back to when I was 15.5 (yes, I do count half birthdays), in Africa, where the sky is so bright with stars scattered everywhere because there is no artificial light. I've never seen so many constellations in my life! No grief was in that memory. In those stars I saw promises still to be fulfilled, dreams to still be released, adventures to still go on. More than anything, I saw the heart of a Creator who is more magnificent than I will ever know, and more deep than I could ever imagine. Never will I master the message of His heart. Never will I know Him fully....even though He fully knows me. That's the beauty of it. In His knowing me, He calls me to search Him out even more intimately. I don't know how to look at stars and not remember that I have a Father who I can trust. If He could make something as amazing as the night sky, surely He can do the same in my life and in the lives of everyone who will just allow Him to paint the picture.