You may have heard the assertion: “The only certainty in life is change.”
We know it’s true. We witness change daily.
Keeping up with change is a full-time effort. Technology changes so fast, that what we purchase at the store today is outdated by the time we wake up tomorrow!’
History is filled with stories of individuals, movements, and nations who championed change to promote progress. However, is all change for the better?
Change isn’t necessarily good or bad. It’s inevitable. How we respond to change is what’s essential.
Some people thrive on change, while others resist it. Change can be energizing; it can also be disconcerting.
Whichever side of the fence you find yourself when confronted with change, the one constancy we share is…
… Change happens and provides us with an opportunity to grow!
When alterations and adjustments happen, we are confronted with the issue of trust. Will I embrace change with confidence, or clinch firmly to that which is familiar?
Perhaps the appropriate question is: “What does God desire?”
The Psalmist frequently appeals to God asking: “Teach me…”
“Teach me your statutes [decrees]” (Ps. 119:171). “Teach me the way I should go… to do your will… to lead me on a level path” (Ps. 143:8,10). “Teach me good judgment and knowledge…” (Ps. 119:66).
All of us – like it or not – must acknowledge that we live in a world of change. The prospects of next year remaining the same as this year are just unrealistic.
However, confidence to embrace the changes before us is discovered when God instructs us in His ways. Change always provides opportunities to learn how – and where – God is inviting us to grow.
Our questions – and apprehensions – are heard and met as we faithfully ask God to instruct us:
“I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.” [1]
As long as we embrace change – WITH GOD – we’ll discover GOD’s ways are safe and secure. God knows what’s before us. God knows what impedes us. God knows the transformation He desires for each of us.
I’m ready to embrace change – WITH GOD. Are you?
[1] The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989), Ps 32:8.