Empty Bag

Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease. ~ Lamentations 3:21-22 (NLT)

I love potato chips. I mean, what’s not to like? They’re crunchy, salty, and oh so good! And, I’m a little weird, too, when it comes to a good dip to use with them. I love to dip my potato chips in sour cream. (Hey, don’t knock it ‘til you’ve tried it!) Pairing the salty and the sour together just is total bliss. There’s just one issue, I have kids who love potato chips too.

The other day, I was looking for my go-to snack, and grabbed the bag out to the pantry. It felt pretty light, but I proceeded. I grabbed my sour cream and sat down on my sofa to watch some football and enjoy the salty goodness which awaited. I popped open the bag and my heart sank. There were no chips left, just the tiny crumbles, chip remnants, left at the bottom of the bag. Someone had put an empty bag back in the pantry. Even worse, none of these tiny morsels could be dipped. They were too small. So, what did I do? I drank the bag. I poured the chip remnants into my mouth. I got one good mouthful, that was it. It was a bit pathetic and certainly did not give me my snack fix. Perhaps you can relate?

I think we often times think of God’s love like this. No, not as a tasty snack, but as a quick fix to cure what is nagging us. And, our small view of God is like that chip bag. We think that His love will run out, or somehow just be small bits and pieces. We’re afraid that somehow His forgiveness will run out and the mercy He shows us will simply disappear. Honestly, we fear that somehow He will stop loving us.

Here’s the cool thing: God’s love is limitless. It’s endless. It doesn’t fade or run out. It doesn’t crumble into a million pieces. Instead, as our verse today states, “Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease.” In other words, though God is pouring out His love to billions every day, His love never runs out. His love for you will never fade.

So, today, and every day, thank God for His limitless love. Praise Him for His boundless mercies. Rest in the truth that there is no second, minute, hour, or day when God’s love for you will disappear. Marinate on this fact. Let it flood every fiber of your being.