My dish washing bottle of Joy detergent stood valiantly on our kitchen sink bearing a glaring red tag. A tag that said, "I'm not in demand any longer. I'm not with it." Yet to me, it would always been the only brand of dish soap that I had ever used in our 34 years of marriage--and that I ever wanted to use. Just two months ago, we discovered that our favorite bar soap is no longer available, either. We scoured several store shelves for our soft-on-the-skin "Camay." Not so creamy that it dissolved in clumps on the washcloth or clogged the drain, yet not too drying either. Just right. Now, the only place to find this bar soap is online.
Numerous products with which we have grown comfortable and confident in using just seem to disappear one day--no longer to be found in any store. Hershey's semi-sweet chocolate chips. Betty Crocker Apple Streusel Muffin mix. Del Monte sweet relish. Toothpaste. And many more.
Also, favorite restaurants have closed--before the economy became an issue. Places where we had celebrated anniversaries, special dates, or family birthdays. We become melancholy for that which provided us with warm, familiar settings and memories.
Nothing remains the same these days. Especially as we live in a disposable, consumptive society. In a desperate attempt to hang onto the familiar pasta strainer that my Mom gave us as part of a shower present, Hubby pounded the rivets back into the holes. They slid out. I almost held a burial ceremony for the strainer as I placed it in the trash. The replacement lacks the Italian character of the old beat up one, and of course it lacks the link to Mom!
Everything changes. Our bodies get older, relationships change, loved ones die, jobs change, attachments to people are lost, our children grow up, our children become independent and move out. Life is full of changes.
Gazing back at the bottle of "Joy", I think to myself, "You can't count on anything in this world lasting or remaining the same. Only one being remains the same, our unchanging God.
"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." Hebrews 13:8 NIV
What changes are the hardest for you to handle? Do you find Christ's unchangeable love and character a comfort in these times?
From My Heart to Yours,
Linking up with Word-Filled-Wednesday at the Internet Cafe
Labels: Christian Inspiration, Faith, Word-Filled-Wednesday
