If you are a person living on Earth, especially in the last year and a half, then at some point in time you have experienced change in your life. Whether that was a job change, house change, car change, relationship status change, different state change, the list goes on and the possibilities are endless. If you are one of those people, you may also be in the same boat with thousands of others who absolutely hate when change takes place in your life. The definition of change according to the dictionary is “make someone or something different; alter or modify.” Change is not easy to overcome because the emotion of fear and the unknown is terrifying for people, yet change is also one of those life circumstances that could set our souls on fire and be the best thing that has ever happened to us and our families.
I remember years ago in my own life that within a 9-month period I lost my aunt to cancer, then three months later my grandmother to cancer, and then three months later my own father of a heart attack. Within those 9-months I thought I would end up going insane. The pain was too great a burden to bear, and the unknown of the reinvention of my life without half of my parents was debilitating. However, in my own life the little silver lining for me was the move out of my childhood home to the middle of nowhere Fowlerville. Looking back if I could have kept everything the same I would have because it would mean that my family would be whole, however the endless possibilities that have been put in my path since then are those little reminders that God is always going to take care of us in the midst of those ever changing storms.
In Scripture, Jesus teaches on change and we see it in Philippians 4:6-8 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, be prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Recently, I read a quote on change that hit me to my core as I am again finding myself in the middle of change right now. “Change isn’t meant to be easy. It’s meant to rip up your roots and put you in new soil where your roots can deepen, and it’s going to be ok in the long run.” Christ knows us better than we know ourselves and He only leads us down paths that are meant to help us thrive and sustain us, we just have to be willing to give it to God so He can lead the way for us. A very simple prayer that I learned when I was younger was “Lord, I have nothing left to give, so I give it all to you.” In that moment, God will be able to step in, and step up to help transform our pain, change and worry and offer peace, and joy in the new beginnings of what we are about to encounter. Just as Matthew 11:28 says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
During this new season change for all of us as we say goodbye to summer and welcome fall with the crisp air and changing leaves, I invite each of us to take a look at the changes that we may have to face and endure, and before the complaints start flying around, sit and ask God how will this change bring joy and peace to my life, and my families’ lives, and how can I grow from this new lesson that God is showing and teaching us? Lastly, and most importantly, ask the Lord to guide your steps, heart and mind, so that when faced with change it doesn’t feel like it will suffocate you but make you feel like you can soar through the roughest of storms.
God, you are always teaching and guiding us. Help us to endure change with a gracious heart and help us see that you have our best interest in mind, and the plans you have for us are meant for us to thrive, and not harm us, protect us and not burden us. Help us to see that you will never leave or forsake us. Amen