Abide...

verb (used without object) 1. to remain; continue; stay: Abide with me. 2) to have one's abode; dwell; reside: to abide in a small Scottish village. 3. to continue in a particular condition, attitude, relationship, etc.; last.

Once a month, our family has a Bernice day, and Sunday was one such day. Bernice is who I want to be when I grow up: she is a spry 85 year-young bundle of energy (she keeps her nursing license current, just to stay sharp), who loves my family more than I can even comprehend. We've known Bernice for almost 9 years now; she's a member of the church honey was employed at until September, and she misses us terribly (and vice-versa!), hence our monthly visits (I think my girls would revolt if we lost touch with their dear "Miss Bernice"). Once we were telling Bernice what an incredible encouragement she is to us, and she said, "Well, all I've ever wanted to be is a cold cup of water in the hand of the Lord, so if I've touched you, thank Him." That's her heart: she lives to bless others in the name of Christ. So naturally I always come away with something special after our visits with her! Sunday we were sharing with her some of our recent struggles, and she said, "You just make sure to abide in Him. I know it's a struggle, because goodness knows I still struggle with it, but that's what you need to do." I was both blown away and incredibly encouraged at the thought that Bernice still struggles with abiding in Him. Blown away because when I think of a godly woman, Bernice is the first to pop to my mind (when I'm struggling to deal with my temper in Dallas traffic, I think of how I would behave were Bernice in the car, and I straighten right up). Encouraged because somehow, the fact that Bernice still struggles with sin makes it more normal for me to still struggle with my sin. And hence the encouragement to abide. I'm doing a study in I John, and last night I went through the book and found all the "behavioral statements." These statements are all incredibly black and white, and the final word on these directives is found in 5:18: no one who is born of God sins... But then the study directed us to 1:8: If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. So there's the paradox...we're called to this unattainable standard of perfection, and once we start to get how bankrupt we truly are, we realize how very much we need Him, how very vital it is to abide, day by day, moment by moment even. There in the midst of our inability to be perfect, we find grace. So there's Bernice's challenge for us all. Father, grant me a heart that yearns to abide, and grant my feeble heart the strength to stay put.