Yesterday, while waiting for Costco to open, so I could join the mad dash for the last toilet paper rolls, I had to stand forever in a line outside the building, Okay, maybe it wasn’t “forever” (more like 15 minutes), but it felt like it. It was snowy and cold and I was wishing I could be anywhere else. Then, when we finally got in and I grabbed my TP, it took “forever” to check out.
Our human concept of “forever” is somewhat skewed. We talk about waiting “forever” for the light to turn, not seeing a friend in “forever”, or it taking “forever” for water to boil or spring to come. The truth is most of what we call “forever” is a very short time, mere seconds or minutes, or, at the most, days.
Perhaps our fascination with “forever” is because we realize we don’t have forever. Psalm 39:5 says God has “made my days a mere handbreadth;…Everyone is but a breath…” No matter how hard we fight it, we know life is short, that nothing lasts forever.
Well, that’s not entirely true. Some things last forever. Today, March 14, is National Pi Day, the day on which we celebrate a number that lasts forever. Pi, the ratio of the circumference of a circle to the diameter of the circle, is an irrational number. You cannot express it as a fraction and it never ends. It just goes on and on and on and on and…well, you get the idea.
That’s a little bit like God’s love for us. Like pi it just keeps going and going and going. Psalm 103:17 says, “from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him…” That means God loved you before you ever took a breath and He will love you long after you take your last one. He says his love is “an everlasting love” (Jeremiah 31:3). Just like God, His love for His children has no beginning and no end. It lasts forever!
In fact, God loves you so much your lifetime isn’t long enough for Him to express all His love for you. That’s why “he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16). Do you want to know what “forever” is really like? Believe in God’s Son!
So, this coming week, when you’ve been standing in line “forever” or it feels like spring will never come, remember two things – #1, Life is short, so enjoy every moment and, #2, like Pi, God’s love for you will never end. Give Him your heart today and learn what it’s like to really be loved – Forever!