Some days are just better than others. For those who like variety, it is refreshing when new trends come out . For others even seeing the leaves start to turn yellow in the fall evokes panic and fear. I love causing change but detest experiencing it. Like this past week when I brushed my teeth with antibiotic cream. I’m guessing the boys took my toothpaste to kids camp and in the dark morning as I was getting ready for work, I reached for what was left in the drawer. Change is sometimes good for us whether we appreciate it or not. I read part of a poem this morning by Kathleen J.Raine that said this:
Change
Says the fields to the grass,
Seed-time and harvest,
Chaff and grain.
You must change,
Said the worm to the bud,
Though not to a rose,
Petals fade that wings may rise
Borne on the wind. …
We cannot stop the seasons or nature from changing yet it distresses us when it enters our world. Parking spaces are filled, appointments are booked up, events get cancelled and the world becomes a little bit more unraveled than we would like it to be. Things ought to happen in concise order, pattern and form, right? Consider the apostle Pauls hectic schedule for a moment as he writes in 2 Corinthians 6:
3 We put no stumbling block in anyone’s path, so that our ministry will not be discredited. 4 Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses;5 in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; 6 in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; 7 in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left;8 through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; 9 known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; 10 sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.
Just when we think our days are perhaps the hardest, the most complex, the least understood, the more intricate or difficult… we are proven wrong by the recording of the apostles life. Change. We like it if it is for the better but curse it if it is for the worse. James 1:16 -17 tells us, “Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. 17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” God does not change like shifting shadows. What does that mean? The sun makes shadows that move throughout the day and then disappear. It is how sundials tell us what time it is. God is not like that, He does not change that fast or fade away. He is constant through ups and downs. He is stable and that is important to know and remember when your world is falling apart. God is stable and does not have mood swings or PMS – thank God! One song says, “Each day He’s just the same, I’m gonna praise Him, look what the Lord has done.” Because God is constant and consistent we know that He is the same yesterday, today and forever. We can trust Him because He is constant.
Every day we feed our fish and new little hamster. We don’t get up and intentionally decide to throw caution to the wind and let them go hungry! Left brain is so constant when feeding our fish that they come to the side of the tank whenever he comes near them. It’s really quite cute as they come near the tank, knowing full well that he will feed them. Jesus tells us in Matthew that we are not to worry because God will feed and clothe us – every day, not just on days with sunshine or rainbows.
God being constant is why we trust Him. He does not blow hot one day and cold the next. He does not cater to one group and then go wishy washy on another. He is constant, stable, secure. That is comforting when you find yourself wondering how you can go on another day or when you wonder if God remembers how to really watch over you. There’s a saying “God has written His plans for you in blood, not in pencil.”
As I watched the sun set last night I was grateful for God’s ability to produce and endure repetition and routine. While He is creative, He keeps things on an even keel. He is steady and in a changing world that steadiness brings comfort, security and peace. When we walk with this “steady one” we become steady, comforted and at peace. Unraveling is an option but it is not necessary or recommended.
Remember those pictures of dogs who started looking like their owners that were all over social media? They crack me up. They have a constant friend when things get “rough”. Groan. Maybe the more we walk with God the more we will look like the owner of the universe, stable, thorough, constant, bringing calm and stability where our feet tread this earth?
God, continue to show us who you are and help us to be like you- today, tomorrow and every day after that. Thank you for the attribute of being constant. As we walk with you, work that in and through our lives. Amen.
Renae Roche2018
*Millard Ericksons list of God’s Greatness was used for the lists in this website.