Christian Counseling Service -- Devotions

Andi's birthday

Thursday, April 6, 2017

From Genesis 17
God spoke to Abram, "Your name shall be Abraham, for I am making you the father of a host of nations. I will maintain my covenant with you and your descendants after you throughout the ages, as an everlasting pact, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you."

Then, almost as an afterthought, God also said to Abraham, "As for you, you and your descendants after you must keep my covenant throughout the ages."

Sign here, Abraham.

But as is also true of many of our best laws, God seemed to include no funding for enforcement. Instead, over and over throughout the ages, God called people to turn from their wicked ways and return to the covenant he made with them. Sometimes we do, sometimes we don't. But the Lord remembers his covenant forever.

This is Andi's 31st birthday. I think of her as one of the best promise-keepers I know. She not only remembers what she's committed to, but she does her part early. I'll bet her U of I student project teams loved her. She studied art, art education, and industrial design. She lived in a community of Christian women (Stratford House) and later with a roommate (her cousin). She kept her promises.

Now she's Aki's wife and Miles' mom. She teaches art at a Christian co-op school in Austin. She loves to spend time with her brothers and her friends. Her life can get complicated. But it is so much less so than it might be, because she keeps her promises.

I run the risk of remaining a clutter-bug and packrat, but I've promised myself I'll change. I procrastinate in everything except what I care most about at the moment. I promised my doctor today that I'd exercise and change my diet. I promised myself that I would pray and be still sometime today. I promised a group of friends that I'd present some ideas at our monthly meeting on Thursday (hey, that's today!). I promised my mom I'd visit later this week.

Ooooh ... I don't think I should have started that list. It feels a little heavy to carry around. And really, it's not even close to complete.

Remember that scene when Jim Carrey got to be God for a couple days, and just clicked "Yes" to every prayer? He was cutting too many corners, and it got him in trouble. He had a very human idea about promise-keeping.

God is really busy, isn't he? But he is a multi-tasker, if there ever was one. Not like us. And I trust his word. He keeps his promises. His covenant is not for sale. He loves me.

And Andi? I love her, too. I promise.

Thanks, Jesus, for always coming home. Coming for me. Preparing a table in the presence of my enemies - and a table for each of them, too. You are a very busy savior. But I reckon the time you set aside for each of us is not part of a zero-sum game. We, on the other hand, live constrained by time, but it's still true: the more we give, the more we have to give. Your love is magic that way.

Devotions Archive

Andi's birthday

Thursday, April 6, 2017