The steadfast love of God.
Psalm 136 26 says give thanks to the God of heaven his love endures forever.
Nothing prepares you for the sight of your child in a hospital bed.
Hooked up to monitors and wires.
I sat there powerless.
Listening to the rhythmic beeping.
Whispering desperate prayers into the silence.
The fear told me that we were alone.
But in the middle of that hospital room,
God reminded me that even here,
He had not left us.
This was the start of summer 2025.
I had enrolled my two-year-old daughter in a three-day-a-week summer morning program.
Excited for her to make new friends and for me to have a few quiet mornings with my youngest baby.
The first two weeks were filled with hesitant drop-offs,
Big smiles at pickup,
And the joy of watching her thrive in this new rhythm.
And then everything shifted.
She spiked a fever that wouldn't break.
After several days and an initial ear infection diagnosis,
Her little face became so swollen that my mama instincts told me something more was wrong.
I took her to the emergency room,
And I'm glad I did as she had multiple infections requiring IV treatment and a hospital stay.
All the plans I had for the month of June,
Projects,
Productivity,
Full calendar,
Fell away in that single moment.
God used that hospital room to slow us down.
To remind us of what matters most.
To show us love doesn't leave when life turns upside down.
Summer often brings long days,
Full calendars,
And the temptation to keep saying yes to more.
Vacations,
Kids' activities,
Family plans,
It all piles up.
We want to soak it in,
But sometimes we realize there's no margin left for stillness.
Sometimes God gently,
Or not so gently,
Stops us.
He reminds us to abide in him rather than our own plans.
The beauty of his steadfast love is this.
It doesn't shift with our schedules.
It doesn't grow thinner when our days grow fuller.
It is steady and unchanging.
Like a wide sheltering tree on a scorching summer day.
When the sun beats down and the air feels heavy.
The shade of that tree offers rest.
God's love does the same for our hearts.
It invites us to step out of the heat of busyness and into his presence,
Where we find renewal and peace.
Today,
Don't think of time with God as another item to check off.
See it as shade for your soul.
A refuge from the relentless pace of life.
Take five minutes to sit quietly with him.
Let his love be the cool place where you can breathe deeply and simply rest.
I invite you to reflect.
How can you step into the shade of God's love today?
What parts of your summer calendar.
Need to make room for his presence.
Lord,
Thank you for your unchanging love that never leaves us,
Even when life feels overwhelming.
Teach us to pause,
To breathe,
And to rest in you.
Help us see time with you,
Not as another task.
But as our shelter.
May your love be our steady place today.
