There is nothing that tests my faith like a big ol' swig of change. It makes my mouth pucker, my toenails curl, and a leaves a sick feeling in the pit of my being. I used to brag that this wasn't true of me- that change was welcome in my life and the mat was always out, waiting to be trod on by a drop in visit from my good buddy, Change.
Not so true now. Change will take the swagger out of my step, the wind out of my sails, and the strength from my faith........if I let it.
Change is inevitable. Thankfully we are not God, God is. (I know, it's a huge revelation and I understand if it takes a moment for you to get a breath after being sucker-punched like that!) He gets to decide how things are going to roll and we have nose-bleed section seating when it comes to seeing His great plan. We may be able to see a speck, if we're lucky.
But Great God Almighty is on the playing field, and fortunately- He's on our team!
I was doing the dishes and had a great moment with God. (If you don't believe that can happen, please read The Quotidian Mysteries by Kathleen Norris!) He was showing me all of the change in mine and my loved ones lives over the last few years and boy was there A LOT!!! Here's the beginning of my list:
Daddy got cancer
We left home to go love on him for a couple of months while he needed us
He died
Momma moved into an apartment
Beth (my sister)got married
Andy's Daddy got cancer
We loved on him
We lost him
Andy's aunt passed away
Tomi, my bro in law, moved to WV without being able to take my sister with him because of a job
My favorite uncle passed away, leaving my aunt (after 62 years of marriage) distraught
A tree fell on my house
We moved to a 2 bedroom apartment for 5 months
We moved back home
My mother lost her job
Change IS inevitable.
I began to ask God to show me people in the bible whom I could relate to and do you know what I got????
Mary
OK Lord, fail to see the resemblance here........
Mary was an engaged teenager with a plan...marry a local carpenter, settle down, live in relative obscurity and poverty for the rest of her life...... but change happened. BIG change.
Did she post her opinion on
with a snarky undertone?Did she speak slanderously about the One who had done this
to her to her girlfriends?Did she crawl in the bed and refuse to get out?
Did she go buy something new and large to make up for the ill feelings she had?
Did she yell at her other children because she was at her wits' end?
She pondered and treasured the change, Jesus, and all that came with it (him)- in her heart.
Change will come, my Friends. We may not expect it- may have our head turned the completely opposite direction. May be startled, shocked, and have the wind knocked out of us. It may require that we change our plans, change our focus, change our direction. Change may require us to do something hard, something new, something...dare I say.....unwanted.
You may even have to........sit in the cheap seats. And if you do? What then?
Trust in the One on the playing field.
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