Hesed--the perfect bubble

A number of years ago, my Spiritual Director introduced me to the Hebrew word Hesed.  In brief, it refers to the unfailing love of God...His lovingkindess.  Or said another way, His covenantal faithfulness.  She so passionately expressed the beauty and richness of Hesed that it has been transformative for me.  Ingrid has stated such truths as –

God does everything by covenantal faithfulness

His love is not a stingy Hesed

 (a truth highlighted in Psalm 85:10 “Unfailing love and truth have met together. 

Righteousness and peace have kissed.”)

I took it upon myself one day to note each of the times God’s unfailing love was mentioned in the Psalms.  I underlined and drew a heart to mark this.  I counted 127 times in the Psalms alone!  Indeed, God’s love is anything but stingy!

Psalm 32:10 has been as a warm blanket for me both in the past and increasingly in the present.  The latter part of this verse reads, “…unfailing love surrounds those who trust the Lord.”  Ingrid has so powerfully captured this verse with a stunning reality--“Hesed in the bubble in which we live.”

As of late the "talk of the town" is about who is in your bubble.   Stage 2 as directed by our government has now allowed each of us to be part of a bubble of 10.  Though it may sound simple, and perhaps for some, it remains this way, it’s not for me.  For myself, and the majority of people I talk with, creating and living within that bubble is complicated.  My therapist has aptly said, “There are no rules right now.”  The government has strongly recommended guidelines but black and white rules are few. 

The problem--

Some of us are stringent rule keepers and feel guilty “breaking” them

Some live with an expansive freedom and wonder why so many are anxious

Some have high risk factors and have made difficult choices to keep their bubble small

Some would like to have a family member in their bubble but for many reasons it wouldn’t “work” or it’s not safe.

One woman I know works in health care and continues to live in a bubble of one, distanced from those she loves.

And the list would be never-ending if I continued further.  It’s complicated. 

This “no rules time” is especially hard for someone like me who often lives under the illusion that control, perfection and order are in my grasp.  Beyond myself, I can’t steer anyone else to abide by my comfort level.  Nor should I!!!

Which is where Hesed comes in and this stunning realization that “Hesed is the bubble in which I live”!

This is what the Hesed bubble looks like--

Each new morning, I am awakened in His unfailing love and fall asleep wrapped in the same

The parameters of Hesed are set in stone.

His covenant is irrevocable to me, His daughter

The boundary line of sovereignty is eternal.

All the security I could possibly need is contained in the unfailing love of God

It does not help for me to pretend or deny that I am living a strange existence where relationships are slotted into bubbles or distancing.  I make space for the challenges, painful decisions and ensuing ramifications of the present.  But there is also a spiritual realm so other-worldly which can make this earthly struggle pale in comparison—if I choose to live in the Hesed of God. 

For the foreseeable future, the core way in which I live out life is going to be s t r e t c h e d.  Ingrid would urge me to see this as a "grace of God."  It's a grace of God that my "kingdom" of control and order is in  crisis.  That I am feeling this churning within is actually a good and yes necessary storm.  God longs for me to be free but freedom only comes from surrendering that which I hold on to with an iron grip.   

So I move forward with open hands, trusting Him to take hold and lead me.