The Only Constant

There has been a crisp feeling in the air over the last few days with temperatures in the morning time at 50 degrees. My mind has immediately began to race to the thought that we are about to enter into a brand new season, fall. Fall represents so many new and wonderful things but I think the biggest realization is that change is coming. I heard a quote once which says, " The only constant in life is.... change." I have found this statement to be true, not only in my personal world, but also in the spiritual world. In my own life I realize that every day represents a change in me. My weight fluctuates from one day to the next. My youthful appearance, which I appreciate right now will one day change and give way to grey hair, possibly even hair that falls out of my head, Yikes! My children seem to change on a daily basis. I have looked at Reese and Gentry before on one day and by the next day it appears that they have grown a full inch. In our daily lives we look at change in a lot of different ways, some good and some bad. I can remember even at my young age going to college and only a small percentage of young people had cell phones, but now you probably could not enter into a high school without at least 90 % of teenagers owning a phone. There is no denying that the world is changing at a rapid pace.

One of the things that I have determined in my life is to embrace change, yet I have discovered it is much easier said than done. Although I believe the mantra of the church should be to constantly preach for changed lives, I also think that we must be careful that we understand what kind of change we are pushing for. If we are not careful we will be shooting at a moving target and not really realizing what we are aiming for. We must be careful to realize that though methods may change, we serve a God that is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Sometimes pausing for a moment to ask a simple question can revolutionize the way we operate. Asking a question such as, Where Are We Going? or What Do We Want This to Look Like When It Is Done? These are questions that can alleviate a lot of frustration from those who are trying to help realize the dreams in their lives. I read a quote from Henry George that I felt was thought provoking, it says, " There is danger in reckless change; but greater danger in blind conservatism." Are there dangers when we begin to change the way things have been done for 50 years? Absolutely! Yet we can not be naive to think that if we hit the pause button time will mystically stand still. There are great dangers to our congregations if we think that we can enable time to stand still and not touch the generation that we live in. The message of the Gospel is relevant, even in the 21st Century. The scriptures tell us of David that he was a man that served his generation by the will of God. There is a call that goes out to men and women that hunger to reach this generation by the will of God. We may think that what worked for another generation will work for this one, but I believe God has a specific will that we are to follow if we want to reach a new generation! God, in an ever changing world, will help us to present a never changing Gospel! What is God calling you to change in your life that you have been fearful of because it is tradition? Remember, if God is calling you to change you must surrender and forge ahead by holding onto his unchanging hand.