Throughout this year of Covid craziness, I think it is safe to say that we have all gone through a fair bit of change. Ok, maybe that’s a bit of an understatement. You may feel like you have gone through way too much change. Even the mention of change right now may bring about a little post-traumatic stress in your soul. And there’s a good reason for that. We’ve all been through some pretty traumatic changes to the way we do, well, everything! However, if you are out there and are a little overwhelmed by the pace of change that you have experienced this year, I want to give you two pieces of encouragement today.
First, I want you to know that it’s ok to feel a little overwhelmed by change. It’s ok to mourn the loss that we feel in change because there is a real sense of loss there. However, at the same time, I want to point out something that may sound obvious… change is a part of life. Now, that might sound a bit cliche, but let’s dig into it a little bit. Did you realize that you are a completely different person than who you were on April 30, 2014? Do you remember 2014? Well, if you could go back in time and compare your body to the body of the person that developed the memories that you have of you in 2014, there wouldn’t be a single cell in your body that is the same. Scientists tell us that every 7 years, our bodies are completely changed at the cellular level. Old cells die and new ones replace them and we change into what is on a purely physical level a completely different person. In this sense, change is quite literally a part of life. In fact, the moment at which your body stops changing is the moment at which you start dying. But this is true of everything. Heraclitus, writing around 500 BC, noticed that “you cannot step into the same river twice.” Every time you step into the river, you are touching different water and the sediment has changed. In fact, the very act of you stepping into the river changes the river, so it isn’t the same. Everything on earth changes. Now, that might not be terribly encouraging to you, until you contrast it with the second piece of encouragement…
Second, God’s love for you doesn’t change. The Spirit’s presence in your life doesn’t change. The Father’s forgiveness cannot change. Jesus’ ultimate act of love and redemption on the cross never changes. The Scriptures don’t change. Jesus’ power and authority will not change. The Church’s influence in people’s lives will not change. The character of God does not change.
So, let’s be people that build our lives on the unchanging foundation of Jesus. Anchored to that Rock, we can manage whatever change this life throws our way!
Josh Rose
Teaching Pastor