Slow abandonment.

I'm sitting in a class full of students, two minutes to the bell, bags packed and ready to go, when my teacher says something that catches all of our attention.

Everything, from the minute you're born, is slowly abandoning you.

Wait, what did he say? Either he can read minds or he anticipated our confused reaction, because he repeated the sentence.

Everything, from the minute you're born, is slowly abandoning you.

I needed him to elaborate because I was pretty sure that sounded about as dismal as it comes. But the elaboration wasn't any prettier. He meant exactly what he said. Everything is going to abandon you. You'll grow up, get married and have kids. Your kids will grow up and they'll leave to start their own lives. Abandonment. At some point, your spouse or you, will die. Abandonment. Then many, many years down the road, your organs and your body will fail you. Abandonment.

People come and people go. Material things come and material things go. Life is full of revolving doors, things coming and things going. Except one thing. Jesus. Jesus is the one thing, the one person in our lives that will never, ever abandon us. At our weakest, at our poorest, at our lowest points. Jesus is not going anywhere. Abandonment isn't an option.

If Jesus promises never to abandon us, then what do we have to fear? Well first of all, we're human. We need tangible, physical things in our lives. So we fill our lives with people we think will never leave and possessions that we're promised will bring us happiness. And everything is fine. Until the possessions fail us and the people let us down. Abandonment. We're crushed. We tell ourselves we'll never let that happen again, all we need is Jesus. But we're human. Time and time again, we fail. We fill our lives with things that we think will bring us happiness, things that can bring us happiness, while all along our foundation is missing. Jesus. Where abandonment isn't an option. When our foundation is strong, the ceiling can collapse and the walls can fall, while the opportunity for rebuilding and regrowth is still available. Abandonment is a cruel, necessary part of this worldly life. But for Jesus, abandonment isn't an option.