Vincent van Gogh: “It is true there is an ebb and flow, but the sea remains the sea.”

While our life is like the ebb and flow of the waters, God is steadfast and remains the same. Our life is full of falls. We call these sins. Our life is full of rises. We call these grace. We have times of sadness and times of joy, times of desolations and times of consolations. Like the pendulum we go back and forth, never able to remain in the center. Yet, throughout all these moments, God is steadfast in his love for us. He loves us in spite of our sinfulness. He loves us when we return to him. It is his love that enables us to recognize our sinfulness, repent and return to him once more. While we have the knowledge of our ebbs and flows, we have the faith conviction of his steadfast love and mercy, which we should never take for granted but be grateful for.