Rabbi Alon C Ferency

Stubbornness & the God Who Stays Deuteronomy 9:24 — “You have been rebellious against God from the day I knew you.” Breathe in, and feel the solid ground beneath you. Breathe out, and notice where you hold firm inside — jaw, shoulders, belly. Stubbornness can protect what is sacred. It can block growth and close the heart. And sometimes, it’s simply a steady presence: the part of you that stays the course. In the wilderness, Israel argued, resisted, refused — and still, God stayed. The Holy One could not let us go. As you breathe, hold this truth: Your willfulness, your chutzpah, even your anger, can be destructive, life-giving, or simply human. And through it all, you are not rejected. You are still beloved. Breathe in: your fire. Breathe out: the God who remains.