Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God will stand forever.”
NL Daily Devotion for Wednesday, January 3, 2024
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
I recently turned fifty-two years old. In July I started dating for the first time since my divorce more than three years ago. Incredibly, I met the love of my life on only my second try (using an online dating site). It’s exciting and bewildering in the “I’m completely gobsmacked by what God just handed to me” sort of way. But, of course, it’s not enough to be blown away by all the goodness and joy of it. Instead, I have to be impatient. I’m not able to drop everything in my whole life and just run away with him, as much as I’d like to. And I keep grumbling to God, “But I’m fifty-two! How many really good years do I have left???”
The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God will stand forever. Yes, I’m finite. I will wither and fade away like the grass. But it’s okay. God is infinite love, grace, and power. As long as I’m plugged into God first, I can enjoy the gifts God has given without fear of losing them. Rooted and grounded in God’s eternal word, I am free to live to the fullest in the here and now. Thanks be to God.
Do I give much thought to my own mortality? Why or why not?
