Changes

If you have ever lost a job at the worst possible time due to downsizing, or if you have had to take an extended leave because of illness, then you know that changes seem more challenging when they are not under your control.

The future can appear very uncertain.

Examples:

For some couples, an unplanned pregnancy and subsequent birth may bring drastic changes and new demands. Initially, they may feel as if their lives have been turned upside down even though they are excited and joyful over the birth of their child. Changes can be stressful and exhilarating at the same time.

Suppose that your job offers the opportunity to take a college course without charge. You choose a course that interests you. You find the class to be stimulating, and you look forward to it each week, but you are also concerned about writing your term paper, doing well in the lab, getting a good grade, and still handling all your other responsibilities.

Positive changes in schedule can be stressful, too. My husband recently got a better job and our schedule changed radically. I used to pick him up at work and arrive home by 10:15 P.M. Now we get up at 4:45 A.M., which is only a few hours later than we used to go to sleep!

Sometimes when we are ready for a change, the people around us are not. Early morning walkers at our local mall always walk counterclockwise, although no one seems to know why. If one morning I would decide to walk clockwise to add variety to my routine, I would be risking a collision every time I turned a corner. I might enjoy the change, but the other walkers would not expect it or appreciate it.

Have you ever decided to take charge of your health and improve your fitness, only to discover that some people were not ready for your changed behavior? When you tell other people that you are on a diet and you skip the snacks and sweets, some will applaud your efforts. Others, however, may continue to encourage you to eat forbidden foods and may even try to sabotage your efforts. Perhaps your healthier habits remind them that they should also change their habits.

God’s Character

Imagine what it would be like if in the middle of a multitude of changes in our own lives, God also changed. What if when we called to Him for help, we discovered He had changed His schedule or His habits, or He had taken an extended leave of absence? What if He decided that He could no longer honor His promises? How would we ever cope? Whom could we count on to be our source of stability.

In a time of great uncertainty when we, and everyone around us, seem to be struggling, it is wonderful to remember that God will never change. He is with us just as surely during those times as He was when we felt His presence in a special way and we saw Him move mountains on our behalf.