The Same Yesterday, Today, and Forever

The older I get, the more I appreciate Hebrews 13:8, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

I’ve been thinking about this devotion for a year or more, but didn’t want to write it, as if not writing it would change the facts the photos so clearly show. The first photo is of my youngest daughter, Julie, age eight, and her pony, Ebony. The second photo shows Julie at nineteen with the same pony.

Many things are changing in my life right now. Julie is moving out soon, and I am selling my house and downsizing. After seventeen years of homeschooling my three daughters and identifying myself as a homeschool mom, I’m searching for a new identity.

I don’t like change much. I like to stay in a nice, comfortable, predictable routine. While some changes are good and exciting, many changes in this life are not. My mother’s death several years ago brought many unwanted changes in my life. Friends took their five-year-old daughter to the emergency room recently for a severe stomach ache and learned that she has cancer.

When I look at these photos, I see Julie changing from a cute, mischievous little girl into a strong, talented, and capable young woman ready to tackle the world. But I also see Ebony changing from a fat and sassy, feisty little pony (who never realized she was little) into an old and increasingly feeble animal that can’t keep weight on. She probably has Cushings. That’s the reason for the long, shaggy coat. Testing was inconclusive. I am dreading the day when she will have to be put down.

In our constantly changing world, I can only hold on to the fact that there is one thing that never changes—God and His love for us.