Quick Changes
Even as the weather changes quickly, so God will cause our changes to occur quickly. Bringing us into a new awareness of Him, a deeper awareness of ourselves, and a clearer awareness of our circumstances. Whether you've been intentional or not in engaging God, God is engaging you. Why? Because it could serve us to keep us actively participating through faith. Or it could be our own negligence in participation that we missed what God was going to do. And lastly, the most loving thought, God wanted to surprise us again with His love; even if the change was not favorable to us.
Summer is around the corner here in Texas. There have been graduations and promotions. Schools are letting out at the end of this month and many things must be prepared for the kids. No matter the age of the kids, children will always need more than we expected. Many of us thought we were ready, but something changed quickly. We can expect that the same will happen with the summer camps, family trips, work schedules, etc. The idea of changes is often not about the changes but about the timing and the cost for the changes. We are resilient people and we adapt but sometimes, this is challenged.
And this is when change can seem unfavorable to us. Being moved quicker than we’re ready requiring more than what we have prepared, now we become flustered and possibly frustrated. Yet could there be a different response? Could we come out of the pressure of the change and go beyond it?
Over the years, I have told my daughter that I would do something with her. She says okay and we make arrangements. Upon arrival of the moment, there is a conflict that requires us to change direction. Not that we must change the intention to go, we must change the direction we were going in. She displays frustration for the one thing that she was expecting. And I calmly share with her the other things she asked for and how now one of the other things will be addressed. It is different from what was planned, yet she is still getting a desire fulfilled. We were going to go one way yet another way was afforded to us quickly. Wrestling with this idea, she has to decide if she will enjoy the change or sulk through the change because the change is happening! Sometimes, she fares well and other times, she does not. Either way, the change occurred and one of her many desires were fulfilled even if she refused to enjoy it.
Are we sometimes, this way with quick changes. We did not prepare for it or it completely surprised us, and yet the change is happening. Proverbs 4:18 reminds us that our choice to live the way of righteousness grows brighter every day. This is despite the changes yet it also reflects the impact of changes. When I consider my daughter’s response, I wonder if she can see my heart’s intent or just the disappointment. Do our responses to these quick changes reflect our trust of God in allowing the changes or our disappointment that blocks our view of Him?
In the blog graphic, there is a light that reveals a perspective of the person that they could not see without the light; it even showed the larger room. That is what a quick change can do for us. It can give us not only a view of God but a view of ourselves that we have not seen before creating another opportunity for the way to shine brighter that we may continue onward.
Pastor Ceci