Constant

I am realising more and more the importance of being constant in a world that chops and changes all the time. I have seen how key it is to be constant in the lives of people who are running from God or have found themselves in situations that they did not want to be in. I know it is imperative to be constant in relationships.

I grew up experiencing few set backs, few problems, and few uncertainties. I was and am blessed to have a great family who are always there for me, who love and care for me. In some ways I was protected from a lot that happens in the big wide world. More recently I have become aware of some of the things that do happen in this world, some of the awful, gut wrenching things that other human beings decide to do.

In my role of youth leader I see young people who choose at this moment to follow their own desires, to go their own way. We all have choices, I cannot make them for my young people, but I can be the constant in their lives.

In the story of the prodigal son, the father is often just seen as someone who accepts his son back, but he is far more than that. In the time that his son is away, the father is active, always waiting, always longing, and always watching for his son. The father is constant. Eventually the son accepts he is wrong, and even though it must be a huge denial of self he knows his father was right and his father will accept him back home.

I have been challenged recently that in many people’s lives I need to be that constant. A person who is active in waiting, longing and watching so that those who have gone off know they will always be loved and cared for, and ultimately that God welcomes them home with open hands and open heart. For those who are in my life I need to be constant in my relationships. The things I say, do and think have to line up!


The challenge
Who do you need to be constant for?
What can you do to be more constant?
How can the Christian church be a constant in today’s society, even though it is made up of so many different denominations and viewpoints?