Hold Unswervingly

The word "unswervingly" occurs only once in the whole Bible. It's in Hebrews 10:23, my theme verse for my new birthday journal.

I write this on the first page: "Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful."

I chose this verse because of all the ways I have swerved and do swerve. I chose this verse to remind me to hold unswervingly to Jesus, even when everything about my life asks me to swerve away.

To swerve means to change directly abruptly. Usually, one swerves to avoid calamity. One swerves to get out of the way to find a better course. Oh, how my daily life asks me to swerve to find a better course than Jesus! Oh, how the ideas I hear and the words I read challenge me to swerve from the life of faith!

I find myself swerving away from a rich life of faith whenever calamity strikes. I find myself swerving to get out of the way of ideological controversies and debates at the university. Sometimes it seems easier to just agree with the dominate worldview--to swerve--to avoid the pain and confusion of debate, conflict, and hurt feelings. I'll just swerve on over to a comfortable and less controversial spot. I'll just swerve away from the hope I know is true.

No! No!

"Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful." That's my prayer for this new age I'm facing.

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Do you have a theme verse for your year?