An old hymnal we sing in church says,

There’s within my heart a melody
Jesus whispers sweet and low,
Fear not, I am with thee, peace, be still,
In all of life’s ebb and flow.

So what IS ebb and flow? An online dictionary says receding and advancing of the ocean tide, fluctuating movement, rise and fall of anything; ups and downs

The waves crash on the shore of life and they recede. We have moments or days of rest and we have days of flood where everything seems to be overtaking us. I guess I am encouraging myself today. The last couple of weeks have been the "flow" days. The waves feel like they keep coming. And as I sat here, that's what the Lord laid on my heart. Is it necessarily anything I have or haven't done? No. It's life. The sea and the shore would not be what it is without the ebb and flow of the ocean waters. The rising and falling, the coming in and going out, the ups and downs. And neither would life.

So for the things I've faced the last two weeks I have to take heart and not be discouraged. That is how life is and that is how life will be. We sometimes make things to be more than what they are when in reality, we wouldn't be who we are without the ebb and flow of the waters in our lives! Thank you Jesus for the ebb days and the flow days, because they make me what I am!

The words of this song rang in my heart this morning and I’ll end on this note…I’m running back to your promises one more time, Lord that’s all I can hold on to, I gotta say this has taken me by surprise, but nothing surprises you. I know You have Your reasons for everything, so I will keep believing, whatever I might be feeling, God you are my hope, and you'll be my strength!