Lamentations 3:21-23

The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases

²¹But this I call to mind,
    and therefore I have hope:

²² The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
    his mercies never come to an end;
²³ they are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness.

Someone asked me again last night if I like my job. It was right after his loved one died and I showed up in the hospital room as my colleagues and I do day after day. I LOVE my job, but it’s hard. I see a lot of awful things, so it can be hard to explain why. But I usually respond by saying something like, “I don’t like when bad things happen to people, but I like (and am thankful for the opportunity) to be with them when they do.” That doesn’t always make sense to people but I haven’t yet come up with a different way to talk about it. But being around suffering and death all the time can easily make someone callous or cynical as a way of coping with the weight of it all. But that’s not how I ever want to be. In the ways I’m able I want to embody light in those dark places of suffering and grief.

So, what sustains my heart in hope? What returns my heart to hope when it wanes? Calling to mind the good news of God. As the writer of Lamentations proclaims, “the steadfast love of the LORD never ceases.” God’s love is continuous. God’s love never ends. God is so faithful that God renews God’s commitment to me day after day after day. God’s faithfulness is great and reminds me that I am created whole and holy.

When my heart aches (as it often does), returning to an awareness of God’s unending love sustains and renews me… and provides all I could ever need to make that love known to others.