We are in a sea of change right now. The world is changing so fast around us and it is dizzying to comprehend all that’s happening. Change can sometimes be a slow gradual thing, giving us time to adjust and acclimate ourselves to the newness brought about. Other times, change happens quickly, swiftly, and in such a manner as to jolt and jar us. We barely have time to understand the change, and suddenly its changing yet again.
Change is happening on our political landscape, in our economy, in our employment, in our relationships, even in some of the most minute parts of our daily living. Many of us like to believe we welcome change, but do we really? Change around us means we have to change too.
I’m a creature of habit, I like my routines. I like knowing I’m going to eat Mexican food on Wednesdays and fish on Fridays. Growing up in San Antonio, and a product of the public school system, that kind of menu selection was ingrained in me. The cafeteria always served enchiladas on Wednesdays, and a plank of fried cod fish on Fridays. Wednesday’s was a nod to our connection to our Mexican culture. Friday’s was a nod to our overwhelming Catholic presence in our community. So that’s where my routine started, and it’s been with me ever since. I like the sameness of it. I like not having to put too much thought into the meal for the day, It’s Wednesday, so we have tacos and enchiladas!
Changing up our routines, our ways of doing things, can be unsettling. We adapt, but we are always off kilter a bit.
For those who are facing change in their lives, how do we handle the transition? If we are married one moment, and single the next, how do we acclimate? If we have been employed for any length of time, and now face the prospect of changing jobs or careers, there has to be some anxiety and trepidation. If we have been rocking along in a fairly stable financial situation and it suddenly is upended, fear and uncertainty are going to well up in us.
The world we live in was engineered for change. It is the basis of how life evolves. We move from one state, to another in life. Its how its been planned out. God, however, is aware of how unsettling change can be for us. In Deuteronomy 31:6 we’re told “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” God wants us to know the one unchanging thing we can be assured of is God’s loving and caring presence, even in the midst of change.
Even though change is fraught with all sorts of emotions and anxiety, we know it will come. There’s no way around it. The writer of Ecclesiastes 3:1 tells us… “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens”. For us, change is always happening, and we not only need to accept changes as they come, but also we prepare our heart and mind for those changes. We pray each day for God to keep a watchful eye on us, and to help ease our anxieties, fears, and uncertainty.
One of the best ways I have found to set my fears aside, is knowing the changes occurring bring with them new opportunities for growth. When we think of change as bad or detrimental, we block the opportunities we may be being provided. In Isaiah 43:19, God says…”See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” If we resist the change that is inevitable, we might find we are resisting just where God wants to lead us and bless us.
There’s nothing wrong with routines and sameness. They give us a marker to depend on. When our clinging to sameness and resisting change blocks the blessings God is trying to send our way, then we are the poorer for it. We should remain open to all the ways God wants to bring change for us, in that change we become a new creation of God. Paul tells the Philippians in 4:6-8…“6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”
Even though this is the Wednesday Word, I usually compose it on Tuesdays. Who knows, maybe today can be Taco Tuesday for me! May God’s love and grace surround you and carry you through whatever changes are coming your way.
Your companion on the Way,
Pastor Tom