“Love never fails.” 1 Cor. 13:8

Those three words choked me up more than anything as I taught my lesson in our adult Bible fellowship class. The phenomenon of an object or institution that doesn’t corrode, rust, wear out, break down, fall apart or disintegrate just seems, well, incomprehensible.

Imagine a car that never needed washing, or an engine that never needed oil. I personally would prefer a computer that never needed upgrading. But everything has a life span. Nothing lasts forever. Even things with a warrantee break before they’re supposed to. Even really durable things aren’t eternal; they just last a LOT longer than most things, and they still deteriorate.

In today’s culture, we’re easily disappointed by things or people that don’t meet our unrealistic expectations of durability, especially in relationships. Husbands, wives, parents, siblings… all disappoint and fail.

But God does not falter. He does not wane. He does not break. He does not weaken…

[…]

You’re the lonely. The one who struggles through trial after trial without anyone beside you to say, “It’s ok, keep going.” You’re the one who silently begs for connection with others, only to be ignored and outcast.

You’re the judged. The one constantly examined and found wanting by your peers. You can’t seem to catch a break; your actions and motivations are constantly scrutinized by others, and you’re unable to convince the ones you want most to please that you are not the dysfunctional person they think you are.

You’re the brokenhearted. The one who’s poured out your heart into your grief. You’ve had your world shattered into a thousand pieces, and picking them up is a task that only fills you with despair and hopelessness.

You’re the orphan. The one who doesn’t belong, who doesn’t have a place. You have lost your identity in those who’ve been taken from you. The hole in your life seems to span from horizon to horizon, swallowing you up every morning and settling like a cold blanket over your soul every night.

You’re the unwanted. You’ve been abandoned by those you needed most; their charge as guardian and protector was forsaken, leaving you bereft of belonging. You feel worthless and undesired.

You’re the disabled. Old age, trauma and genetics have taken their twisted toll on your body, and you are far from healthy. Your physical or mental challenges are too much to bear. You feel separated from everyone in every way that matters. Your connection with people is broken due to your disability, and what you can and can’t do defines your every failure and every success.

You’re the insecure. Everything you have could be gone tomorrow: your money, your health, your family, your mission. Everything seems to hang by a thread, and tomorrow could bring calamity at worst; at best, more uncertainty for the next day.

This message is for YOU (and all the rest of us). […]

In a time not too far from the beginning, the serpent slithered to and fro. He was more clever than any other animal God had made. Cunning and crafty and wily, he sought out the Woman in the garden and asked, “Do I understand this correctly: […]