CHANGE

I am about to date myself in a major way here, BUT, when I was in high school a song came out sung by Tracey Lawrence titled “Time Marches On”.  The chorus of the song states:

South moves north, North moves south
A star is born, a star burns out.
The only thing that stays the same is everything
changes, everything changes.

I have often thought that there was a lot of truth to that simple chorus.  I still think that to this day, almost 20 years later.  (Yep I just dated myself in a major way! HA!)

I had heard a lot growing up that the only constant in our world is that everything changes.  The other day when Robert’s Mom was up for a visit Robert and Mimi were discussing how much things have changed in just his lifetime.  When he was born 36 (almost 37) years ago, there were no personal computers, tablets, smart phones, well any cell phone.  People still sat around and talked.  There was no internet or Facebook.  No blogging.  No Information Super Highway.  There were still rotary phones, pay phones, typewriters, and home economics classes. 

Yet in 36 short years, all of that has changed.  Now it is rare to find a pay phone or a typewriter.  Kids have tablets and smart phones starting in Kindergarten, and can use them better than most adults.  (I know Maggie had a grand time showing my folks what their phones could do when they finally broke down and upgraded to smart phones at Christmas time).  The only constant that most of us can see in the world has been the constant of change.  Technology moves us forward.  There have been advancements in the medical field, the technological field, the way we work, play, and even interact in our family dynamics has all changed.  For almost all of us, change is indeed the only constant that we can claim is truly consistent within our lives.

Yet, for the most part, we are creatures of habit that resist changes.  We don’t like to upset our unique routines.  We don’t like the idea of doing things differently.  We set our lives into what we feel is an orderly fashion and want things to stay that way. I know that if my “routine” is thrown off a little bit I feel like my whole day, week, or even my month is spiraling out of control; and I think that I am a fairly flexible person (kids do that to you). The reality is that nothing ever really stays a certain way.  Life is always changing, stretching and growing you and with good reason, we are meant to live in a world that changes.  Think how boring our world would be if everything was the same day in or day out.  Kind of like the movie “Groundhog Day”.  After a while even “good morning” spoken to someone is pointless and meaningless.

Actually we are wrong if we think that the only constant that we can cling to in our world is that change is inevitable.  Change is inevitable and the dread that change brings can be scary, but there is another constant that we often overlook and fail to consider as we move and change.  All too often we forget to cling to the fact that God has said that He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  No matter how many change occurs in our lives, He will sustain us and get us through. Why? God is God.  He is The Beginning and The End, The Alpha and The Omega.  He is the Author of our lives and the changes that come into them.  God is the Everlasting One, the other constant of our world, and the One that doesn’t change.  Our world changes, but God never does.  Knowing this truth, we can find peace and rest in the changes that do occur within our lives, no matter how big or small they are.

Our lives here within the Best Family are changing.  Some of the changes are good.  Some of the changes are stretching us in new ways, challenging what we have always known or thought of to be right.  Some changes require sacrifice.  Some of the changes mean that we will get to love, laugh, and play more.  Some of the changes mean that we will have to restructure and rethink our routines.  No matter what the changes are, one thing is certain, our world is changing, our family is changing, and we have to change with it.  But if we cling to the other constant of our lives, our faith and belief that God is indeed who He says He is, the changes won’t be so hard.

Changes are indeed coming to the Best Family in 2014!  There are big changes and little changes, but they are coming.  I for one can’t wait to see them happen and see how they will mold us into a closer more loving family and more into the image of Christ!