Always and Never

“Always” and “never” are two words that you really have to be careful how you are using them. How many hurt feelings are there in relationships when they are used, usually in the heat of an argument! “You never ____!” “You always ____!” The blanks are easy to fill. The words are harder to erase.

When we do that, we are telling the other person that they are a loser (or worse). They do not fulfill what we want, and we plant the seed that unless they improve we will leave. Maybe not physically. Maybe only emotionally. It can be a form of manipulation.

Ouch! I know. But I think we need to stop and think. Are others really the ones that are supposed to make us happy? When we look to another person to make us happy and fulfill our emotional needs, we not only give them power over us, but we are setting ourselves up to be a victim. You are not a victim!

Early in our marriage, I had a miserable birthday. We couldn’t go out to eat because of money and my husband was not a big gift giver. I felt like no one cared that it was my birthday. You should feel special and loved on your birthday, but my husband did nothing that year to make me feel loved or special. In the middle of my pity party, God got a hold of me and said that if I would look to Him, He would make my future birthdays special. He didn’t say He would change my husband, He asked me to change how I looked at things. I must tell you; God has done more than enough every year to make me feel special and loved. Sometimes it’s through a friend, or a restaurant gift certificate, a call from a family member, etc. I no longer look to my husband to make me happy; I look to God.

Now that’s when it’s okay to use the words “always” and “never”! In Hebrews 13:5 in the Passion Translation it says “…but live content with what you have, for you always have God’s presence. For hasn’t he promised you, ‘I will never leave you, never! And I will not loosen my grip on your life!’” The Amplified Bible says “I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let you down (relax My hold on you)! Assuredly not!]”

He will always love us, He will always be with us, He will never leave us, never forsake us, never fail us. Wow! That is powerful! I encourage you today to look to Him for all that you need. He will never let you down!