By Rachel Stewart

“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.” Hebrews 10:23

We can’t leave home without Lovey.  My daughter Callie won’t let us.  Lovey has to go with us wherever we go.  Callie takes her little doggy blanket she calls “Lovey” everywhere.  She carries him around the house, to school, the store, restaurants, and of course, to bed.  Lovey makes Callie feel safe and secure.  When something goes wrong or she gets upset, she has to have Lovey by her side to hold on to.  Lovey is her constant.

I’ve read that it’s common for children to attach themselves to things that make them feel safe and secure.  But then again, don’t we all?  No matter our age, I think we all long for something we can hold on to that is stable and constant.  We want something we can depend on and trust.

But as we grow older, life happens.  We realize that the things and people we put our security in can’t always be trusted.  Many of the things we put our hope and faith in eventually let us down.

Lately it seems like everything around me is changing.

I don’t like change. Change is really hard for me. I like things in my life to stay consistent.  I like stability.  When the world around me starts to shift, it really rattles me.  So often I’m like the foolish man in Matthew 7 who built his house on the sand.  When the rains come down, the streams rise, and the winds blow, my life seems to quickly come crashing down.

I’m tired of getting tossed around so easily by the storms of life. I want to do better. I want to be wiser. I want to learn how to build my life on a firm foundation so I will be able to withstand the wind and rain.

I’m a slow learner.  But thankfully the Lord is a patient teacher.  He has been showing me that there is only one constant that I can hold onto.  HIM.  He’s the only thing in this life that never changes.  Malachi 3:6 says, “I the LORD do not change.”

We can count on Him and the promises of His Word.  He is faithful.  His Word is truth.  His promises are sure.  As Hebrews 10:23 says, “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.”

I want to believe that.  I do.  But in all honesty, I still struggle.  But I’m learning that in order to build a strong firm foundation, I have to continually seek Him, spend time with Him, and abide in Him.  I have to continually take time to read, study, and meditate on His Word.

I can’t have a casual part-time relationship with God and expect to be able to weather the storms of life with wisdom.

Firm foundations don’t just happen by accident. They are very intentional.

I think we can all learn a lesson from Callie. She feels secure because she has Lovey with her WHEREVER she goes. She always has Lovey by her side.

Doesn’t the Lord want us to do the same in our relationship with Him?

He wants us to hold onto Him, to take Him with us wherever we go, to continually spend time with Him throughout the day in prayer and reading truth from His Word. Then when the storms of life hit, and they surely will, and everything around us seems to fall apart and crumble, we can hold on tight to the only Lovey who will never let us down… the Lord.