I had an awful father. He had an incredible work ethic. For decades he worked two full-time jobs making sure his family was well cared for. While we were not rich, far from it on a school teacher’s salary, we had nice things. Remembering him fills me with awe, making me awful.
English is an awful language filled with words that mean just the opposite. I stopped at a yard sale and saw piles of priceless things. Who could put any price on the junk they were trying to sell? Here in New England things that are really fascinating and intriguingly good are wicked good. Once I had to resign a letter resigning from a job. I lost the first copy.
In 1719 Isaac Watts wrote, “Before Jehovah’s awful throne, ye nations bow with sacred joy; know that the Lord is God alone; He can create and He destroy. Wide as the world is His command, vast as eternity His love; firm as a rock His truth shall stand, when rolling years shall cease to move.”
Most things in the universe change. Even our sun will change. It will burn out. Don’t worry about it. It’s a few billion years before that happens. But we will be around to see it happen because another thing that doesn’t change is God’s promises that we will live forever. Forever is a really long time. How reassuring it is to know there is only one thing about God that will change. It is His love for us. Love grows and if He loved us so much two thousand years ago to give us His only Son just imagine how much He will love us when our sun burns out.
Written by Roger Bothwell on August 31, 2015
Spring of Life, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574
Rogerbothwell.org