His Gracious Grip On Us

Good morning Immanuel. We can rest in the hope that we not holding onto Christ so much as he is holding onto us!

“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)

Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash

We lost my mother a few years ago. Both she and my father demonstrated their faith and hope in Jesus in their lives. As my mother’s illness progressed, she developed severe dementia, to the point that I do not think she recognized those around her, including my sister and me. As she approached death, occasionally, friends would ask me questions about her faith. I know she had been a believer for as long as I could remember, but what about now, in her state of cognitive decline? She clearly did not have the capacity to believe in Jesus as her savior— or to reject him.

Then I wondered about my faith. Yes, I believe in Jesus as my savior but am I strong enough to maintain my faith through something like the dementia my mother had? The bad news, of course, is no. Certainly, I am not that strong. But the good news is that it doesn’t depend on my strength. I am not holding onto him; he is holding onto me. My faith is secure, and yours is too. Nothing, not even dementia, can separate us from the love of God in Jesus Christ!