Every year for Mother’s Day, my family takes me to the nursery to pick out flowers for our flower garden. To say that I look forward to this for months on end would be an understatement. My family joins me in planting numerous pots full of luscious flowers. My husband would tell you that is the easy part.

The hard part? I change my mind a few (all right, more than a few!) times on where to place the pots and how to organize them on the front porch, the patio, and the numerous other places we place pots around our yard. Lon, sometimes with the aid of our brand-new “John Deere” wagon (named as such because it’s green), hauls the pots to just the right place. And then to just the right place again.

I’m thankful I married a strong former farm boy.

It’s a running joke that I can’t always make up my mind for the placement of pots overflowing with petunias, pansies, daisies, verbenas, and fuchsias. But while I may be indecisive on where my flowers will thrive under the best growing conditions and where our family will appreciate them most, there is One who isn’t indecisive.

One whose mind isn’t swayed.

One who remains steadfast.

Our world has changed dramatically in the past ten years. Just last week, in addition to September 11, we witnessed the vicious murder of Charlie Kirk, a godly man of faith who worked hard to engage students in respectful discourse. He was a light in a dark world who stood strong for his faith, and his horrific death is one that I still can’t fathom. The heartbreaking images of his wife, Erika, and their children are forever embedded in my mind. I have been a longtime fan of Charlie’s, and still can’t believe he’s gone.

Or the awful murder of Iryna Zarutska, a Ukrainian refugee, while she was innocently using public transit. She died crying and alone when a depraved man took her life, and no one stepped in to help. The look on her face will haunt me for years to come.

Or the school shooting at the Catholic school in Minnesota, where a horrible man killed two innocent and precious children. My heart breaks for the families who will never hug their young ones again.

Or the school shooting in Colorado that injured two innocent students. I am so, so grateful no one lost their lives due to this boy’s sinister actions.

There are more awful incidents, and this is just the tip of the iceberg. But last week felt heavy. Hopeless. Fearful. Add that to the hateful words and images that flooded the internet celebrating Charlie Kirk’s death. I was left unable to process the degeneracy of it all.

In a world that has changed dramatically in recent years, it’s always a bit disconcerting to imagine what the next day will bring. Toxic news stories are everywhere from TV to the internet. Anxiety rates have risen, depression is more prevalent than ever, and discord among friends (and, sadly, even family) is becoming commonplace.

But through all the craziness, lunacy, and insanity that have abounded, God remains steadfast, faithful, and unchanging. His Word remains the same, never wavering for a moment, even though the tides of everyday life change more rapidly than we can comprehend. He invites us to rest in His arms. To allow Him to take the burdens that overwhelm us. To cast our cares on Him.

Psalm 86:15 tells us “But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.” We in Christ long for His return.

But, thankfully, He is a God that desires for no one to perish (2 Peter 3:9). In those frequent moments when I long for His return, I remember some of those I love who don’t yet know Him. Who don’t yet have the consolation of residing with Him for eternity and my prayer life for them becomes more persistent than ever.

So today, let’s rest in the steadfast love of the Lord. Remembering that, while this world can be a scary place, for those of us who have surrendered our lives to Christ and have made Him our Lord and Savior, this is not our permanent home.

And while the world around us constantly changes, and in those changes, it can be a frightening place to reside, there is One whose love, whose Word, whose very Being never changes. Let’s rest in His arms in light of chaos, fear, and heartache, and remember that in all of this, He truly is our unchanging refuge.

May we keep our eyes on Him, never wavering from the One who can truly give us rest.