Life Changes Around Us
Have you noticed a little browning of the landscape? About this time of year things begin to happen. It gets so dry and parched that things start burning up. The tall grass that was so beautiful a month ago is progressively becoming a duller brown, heading for death. This is a sign that Fall is very soon approaching. Life and death are all around us.
Fall is an exciting time of year. We see what appears to be death to the green of the Spring and Summer as it changes colors and prepares itself for the long cold of winter. The leaves change from bright green to an ugly brown. The change, however, is very beautiful. Depending upon the type of plant, you may see reds, oranges and yellows, or a combination of them all. Death has its beauty… change has its beauty.
In our lives we experience all kinds of changes. If it were not for the trials and the hard times, we could not begin to understand and appreciate the good things we enjoy. We anxiously await growing up when we are young not realizing that we are headed for death. Each day we live is one day closer to the grave.
There was a time in our lives that death was our enemy. Not in Christ! Paul said, For me to live is Christ and to die is gain… For a Christian, the changes we go through in life are no different than the changes of seasons we see around us year after year. Some of the seasons are pleasant and some are challenging. Some of the changes that take place in our lives are the same. Some are pleasant and welcome, while others challenge our faith and faithfulness.
Think of what a year would be like if every day were the same. How boring! If the temperature was a mild, pleasant constant we would soon be longing for something cold for a little while. If it was cold all the time, we would want it to be hot.
What would my life be like if everyday were the same? What if at age 41 my greatest joy would still be to play in the sandbox or my greatest goal was to fly like superman? What kind of world would we have if there were not changes?
Things around us change. Our children grow up and move away. What a change! What about when they grow up and start thinking for themselves… and you don’t like the way they think? Big change! What happens when those we love and have been so near in our lives pass on and we see them no more? That’s a change, isn’t it? At the same time, someone else is born into the family that can fill a spot in our hearts. That’s a change!
We are in a constant state of change. If nothing changed, if no one died and no one was born, life would become dull like the brown grass of late Summer or the brown, dead leaves of Fall. God gave us a changing world and a changing life to keep us challenged and lively and to keep us excited about life. There is something about the fear of change in our lives that brings an inward thrill. “I don’t have to be the same tomorrow that I am today.”
God calls us to change. He wants us to “grow” as we live our lives before Him. Growth is change. Sometimes it hurts and sometimes it is pleasant. But it is always beneficial.
Don’t fear letting God make changes in your life. You are a creature designed for change. Do not resist. Go with the flow. God knows what He is doing.