So much change

This week, one of our daughters is moving house. In a few weeks, our other daughter is also moving. Around then too, our son is changing jobs, after thirteen years with the same employer. One recent morning, I heard of the death of a man from our old church. Then, just this past weekend, that same church held its final, formal service before joining with another nearby church. So much change everywhere, bringing deep sadness for some but joy and excitement for others as they look forward to new beginnings.

None of these changes has anything to do with my own life choices. Yet as I have watched on, listened and helped our where I could, they have caused me to feel unsettled myself, a little out of kilter somehow as if the ground is shifting under my feet. What is going on? Why has all this change occurred? With some of these, I never envisaged such decisions would be made or such events would unfold. Yet now, they have become reality – or will soon.

I am well aware that life is all about change. Things do not stay the same forever and, if we try to stop this change, we can easily find ourselves feeling frustrated, fearful and defensive – or perhaps even plain bored. At the same time, although we may be reluctant to admit it, we may begin to feel helpless and defeated.

Years ago, during a rather tumultuous time in my life, I came across a well-known prayer written by Teresa of Avila in sixteenth century Spain that begins this way:

Let nothing disturb you. Let nothing frighten you. Everything passes away except God.

Sometimes, the last two sentences are translated a little differently but they still contain the same powerful message:

Let nothing disturb you. Let nothing frighten you. All things are passing away. God never changes.

I wonder if you find these words as reassuring as I do. Yes, things can often disturb and even frighten us, can’t they? We are human, after all – and we see in the gospels that even Jesus was upset and disturbed at times. But Jesus also knew his heavenly Father with whom he had been from the very beginning – and we have this same heavenly Father who will never change and will always be our all-knowing, all-powerful, all-loving Lord and King.

I the Lord do not change. Malachi 3:6

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. James 1:17

Jesus also warned that nothing in this world lasts forever and that we are not to rely on earthly riches which can pass away in a moment. Instead, we are to be rich in our relationship with God and know where our true security and destiny lie. We see this in the parable he told about the rich fool who decided to build bigger barns for his surplus grain and take life easy (Luke 12:13 – 21). Yet that very night, he died. What use then was all his wealth that he had relied on and kept to himself?

Things can change for us in a moment. Yet, through it all, we can stand firm as we fix our eyes on God who is eternally loving and utterly dependable.

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Sometimes …

I never cease to be amazed at the intricacies of our nine-year-old granddaughter’s mind and the interesting conclusions she reaches about certain things. Many times, her intriguing way of thinking has caused me to sit up, admire her unique approach to the matter under discussion and also, at times, take stock of my own life as a result.

Recently, as I ate my own dinner of good, old-fashioned Shepherd’s Pie and our granddaughter sat beside me, gobbling down her spaghetti Bolognese, I asked her if she liked Shepherd’s Pie. She did not answer immediately and I wondered if she had heard me, but eventually, I realised she seemed to be thinking deeply about the whole matter.

‘Well … sometimes,’ she finally responded.

I was puzzled and asked her what she meant, but she simply shrugged and did not seem to want to explain any further. So … does she like Shepherd’s Pie only when it is the right sort of Shepherd’s Pie? Does she like it only when the mood takes her and she actually feels like eating it? Does she tolerate it only if there is nothing better on offer? Can she even remember ever trying it?

I may never discover what she meant, but at least her response caused me to reflect on my own life and realise that I too can be the same with other far more important matters than Shepherd’s Pie. Sometimes, for example, I look forward to putting time aside to be with God. Sometimes, I am happy to do the things I sense God wants me to do. Sometimes, I care enough about others to reach out and help them. Sometimes, I listen to that prompt from God and refrain from saying that hasty, judgemental comment. Sometimes, I forget or choose not to remember that God is Sovereign in my life and deserves to be honoured. Sometimes, my preferences in all these things become the most important factor instead.

As I thought more about this, I realised that ‘sometimes’ does not seem to be part of God’s nature or the way God works. God does not blow hot and cold. God is not fickle or unreliable. God does not change, lose interest or become lukewarm in any way. What God says, God does. What God promises definitely will happen.

‘I the Lord do not change. … Return to me, and I will return to you,’ says the Lord Almighty. Malachi 3:6

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. James 1:17

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and for ever. Hebrews 13:8

In the long run, it does not matter what foods we sometimes like and sometimes are not so keen on, does it? After all, our tastes can change over time for all sorts of reasons. But it does matter if we are ‘sometimes’ people when it comes to the things of God. It does matter when we are fervent in our faith one day, then forget about God the next. Instead, may we learn to be ‘all the time’ people for God, ready to change the things in our lives that need changing, yet unchanging in our commitment to love and serve God with all that we are.

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