Hesed – “the idea of faithful love in action”
“In general, one may identify three basic meanings of hesed, and these 3 meanings always interact — strength,steadfastness, and love. Any understanding of hesed that fails to suggest all three inevitably loses some of its richness.”
This past month in America I have been a witness to this beautiful notion. Here are a couple of examples:
Almost two weeks ago I was able to witness the marriage of my college roommate to her loving fiancé. They had been dating for over six years, and were ready to take the next step. As I watched my roommate walk down the aisle to her future, I couldn’t help but think of all the moments in the past and all of the moments to come where they will be in practice of “hesed,” this faithful love that fights for one another, no matter the circumstance. Their relationship is so God-centered that I have no doubt the Lord will bless them!
One week ago I was in Louisiana, visiting a friend from the World Race I had recently completed. I wanted to spend some time with her before heading out again to the world, and to FINALLY visit the South that so many of my fellow racers fondly recalled. One item from my bucket list was to witness a southern rainstorm. I know it sounds silly, but I love the idea of watching God work His magic on the planet. Low and behold, I checked that item off. As I sat in a fold-up chair in the backyard of my friend’s house, a small breeze blew right past me, and the Lord brought me to tears over the beauty of His creation. It will forever remain as a testament to His love for all humanity.
This past week I was able to visit all of my old squad-mates at Project Searchlight. We praised and worshipped, we were taught how to live out our new identities in the world, and we embraced the ephemeral moments of our squad unity before being sent into the world like Timothy’s. But the most “hesed” moment of all was when I left. I had already hugged the squad goodbye, tears (once again) leaking from my eyes, and one squad-mate yelled “Allison!” I turned around and was being blessed by the entire squad right before I walked out!
Hesed has become one of my favorite words recently, because I can see it throughout every day. I am so excited to see the “hesed” that the Lord has planned for these next few months with L Squad!
“How priceless is your unfailing love, O God!” – Psalm 36:7
*I am still in the midst of fundraising for my Squad Leading in September! If you would like to financially help me out, click on the “SUPPORT ME!” button on the left! God Bless!
