CHANGE

When something we’ve been used to changes, we often get upset. We say things like, “Well, we’ve never done it THAT way before” or “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!”. Why do you suppose it is that we are so against things changing? Is it fear of the unknown? Is it that we’ve gotten comfortable the way things are? Is it that we are afraid something important to us will be forgotten? Is it that we are just plain ol’ stubborn? Change can be good, but it can also be bad. (Avoiding all political associations) We have all seen changes that didn’t work out quite like we thought they might. Sometimes they work out even better, sometimes they are worse, and a lot of times it all hinges on if we were actually seeking God’s will in that change to begin with. Sometimes the changes we face are downright painfull, like getting used to living without a loved one, or recovering from a terrible illness or learning to live with a disability. But we cannot let past failures predict or determine our future successes. So, what does the Bible say about change? There are some things the Bible says will NEVER change. God will never change. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. His love for you will never, ever change. Once you belong to Him, that will never, ever change. Then there are things that the Bible says should change. How many times does the Bible say for you to TURN from your wicked ways and become NEW? I’ve not counted, but I know it’s a lot! We are to become new creations in Him, turning from what we once did, what we were once comfortable with, and walk in a new direction, in His will. My favorite verse about change is also about music; “Sing to the Lord a NEW song!” It makes me think, “Well, I guess even God gets bored with the same old stuff.” Even God likes a new song every now and then!! That makes me smile!!  The truth of the matter is, no matter how hard we try to stop things from changing….they STILL change. Our children grow up, our loved ones die, we get older, we move, we get new jobs, we have grandchildren, we make new friends, good friends move away, we buy new cars, seasons change…do I need to go on? Our ENTIRE life is about changing. YOU get to decide if you are going to change for the better, or for the worse. YOU get to decide if you are going to accept changes gracefully, KNOWING that what Joshua 1:9 says is true “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” God has told us, over and over, to be STRONG and COURAGEOUS and to HAVE NO FEAR…and yet sometimes we still dig our heels in like a stubborn donkey and refuse to move forward because we are either too weak to stand up for what we believe in, don’t have enough guts to learn something new, and are too afraid of what “might” happen, so we sit in our comfortable complacency and do nothing. We can very easily avoid taking any risks and just maintain, but life was never about just maintaining, we were made for an abundant life! In the Parable of the Ten Talents, Jesus tells us not to hold back what he has given us. We are to use what He has given us to the fullest, not store it all away out of fear. He WANTS us to CHANGE! To be better, more faithful, more willing to serve, more willing to share, more willing to do whatever it takes to reach the lost! Jesus was NEVER in the business of maintaining the status quo. If He was, He would have stopped with the Disciples. He would have just maintained His relationship with them, never seeking out anyone else to teach, never healing, and certainly never dying on the cross for US! Change. How does that word make you feel? Apprehensive? Angry? Excited? Jesus was EXCITED! David was so excited he DANCED before the Lord! The wisemen were excited! The angels were excited! Change was coming….BIG change. When you look at things changing in your church, before you judge, before you get angry, before you get scared, measure it under God’s microscope. Are we trying something new to reach more lost people for Christ? Are we trying to improve something to make it even more effective for reaching others for Jesus Christ? Am I just acting this way because of MY feelings, MY comfort, MY fear, MY stubbornness? If you answer yes to any of those things, then you need to re-evaluate the situation. God doesn’t want us to tuck ourselves down in the ground and hide away in our comfort while the world dies and goes to Hell. That was not what he commanded us to do. “Go ye therefore, and teach ALL nations, GO.” You cannot GO anywhere, without changing were you ARE.  I hope you read this and it CHANGES your perspective on change.

I Will Never Forget...

I was standing in the kitchen of my house in Tampa, Florida the morning of September 11th with my mom.  Mom and Dad had been visiting for the week.  Scott had been called to a church in Tennessee and Mom and I were packing my crystal.  We were all smiles, excited that we would be moving closer to home.  Alex & Taylor had just left for school and Jarod, still a baby, was playing on the livingroom floor near his Papaw who was watching the morning news. They had been talking about George and Laura Bush being in Florida that morning reading to school children at a local school.  Mom and I weren't paying attention to the TV though, we were busy chatting about the flight we would be making in a couple days up to TN to finalize our housing and such when my Dad interrupted us.  We walked into the living room and I didn't understand what I was seeing.  He said, it's the World Trade Center.  I said, what happened?  Did something blow up?  He said, a plane has flown into it!  I was still confused.  I was still thinking it must have been a small plane, but how could they not see the Tower?  Then I heard them say, it was a 767, a large passenger plane, with at least 92 people on board.  I said, "how could this happen?" and my Dad just said, "Terrorists".  As we sat there staring in disbelief at the smoke and flames, suddenly another plane appeared and smashed into the other tower.  My knees buckled, and I sank into my chair, thinking to myself, "oh my God, what just happened....what just happened??  How many people where on that plane?  What is happening?!"  The news came shortly after that, that there were more planes that had been hijacked and they didn't know where they were going.  The only thing I could think of at that point was, I want my boys.  I want them here with me now!  I don't remember now if I went to get them or if I told Scott to go get them.  I was in such shock.  We weren't far from an airbase and the jets had been scrambled.  We would hear them overhead.  Then news came of the Pentagon being hit, and another plane crashing into a field in Pennsylvania.  My world changed that day.  It went from one of feeling safe, to feeling terrified, unsure of the future, extreme sorrow for the ones that lost their lives, and extreme anger at the ones that caused it.  Watching those towers burn, seeing people jumping or falling from windows, and then seeing them come crashing down on live TV is something I can never erase from my memory.  Trying to comprehend the evil behind the attacks was more than I could ever wrap my mind around.  So many people gone in an instant.   But I will also never forget the next morning.  It was a beautiful morning, not a cloud in the sky, nor a plane.  Quiet.  Pictures from New York showing black smoke still pouring from the holes where the towers had been, ash covered rescue workers trying desperately to find survivors, and seeing that picture of the Fire Fighters at ground zero, raising that flag.  After that, there were flags everywhere, every house, every store, every car.  And I will never forget President Bush asking for us to pray for the families and quoting the Psalms.  He reminded us that our God is stronger than any terrorist attack, stronger than anything we might ever face.  It was so very comforting to know that our country was being led by a man of God.  Americans came together like never before after 9/11.  Yes, we had been shaken, but we would not be defeated.  That day changed us all in many ways.  But I don't think it did what the terrorists had hoped.  It brought us closer together, brought us to our knees in prayer, brought more of us to Christ.  I will never forget that day.  What about you?

"If you've knelt beside the rubble of an aching, broken heart,
When the things you gave your life to fell apart;
You're not the first to be acquainted with sorrow, grief or pain,
But the Master promised sunshine after the rain.

Hold on my child, joy comes in the morning,
Weeping only lasts for the night;
Hold on my child, joy comes in the morning,
The darkest hour means dawn is just in sight.

To invest your seed of trust in God in mountains you can't move,
You have risked your life on things you cannot prove;
But to give the things you cannot keep for what you cannot lose,
Is the way to find the joy God has for you.

Hold on my child, joy comes in the morning,
Weeping only lasts for the night;
Hold on my child, joy comes in the morning,
The darkest hour means dawn is just in sight.

The darkest hour means dawn is just in sight.
Just in sight!"