^“The Lord is good to all,  and his compassion is over all that he has made.”  (Psalm 145:9 NRSV)

What a tender picture these words convey.   The Creator extends his arms of  compassion over all: men, women, children, pets, nature.  No one is outside that umbrella of compassion (“sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others”).  The Hebrew word is רחום, rachûm which means merciful.

I was reminded of my mother by this.  When I was little, my mother used to sing to me at bedtime.  We would snuggle together and then she’d sing.  At the end of the singing, she would say “go to sleep little man, you’ve had a busy day.”  I could relax and fall to sleep because I was safe.

Anyone who is going through a hard time aches to find someone who cares for him or her.   Loneliness is not fun and being down in the dumps is no picnic.  If anyone is feeling isolated, may I suggest you consider the truth of this one simple verse.  The Lord is good to all, and his compassion (mercy) is over all that he has made…including you.

Just thinking about it can help, like the warm feeling that comes when we realize someone loves us.  The awareness probably won’t solve things, but it seems to make a big difference to each of us.