When Things Change

Ecclesiastes 3:3 says,  "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under the sun."

As fall approaches, and leaves change colors and the weather turns cooler, we are reminded that change happens. The Bible says for everything, there is a season. As the seasons go through their changes … so do we, and everything in life.

Some welcome a change, and others either fight or flight.

We Expect the Expected
Changes of the seasons are predictable, as are changes as we grow older: the baby stage, the toddler stage, teenage puberty, and into adult responsibilities. We change from being young and daring, to growing more cautious in middle life and start slowing down, to our senior years when we slow way down.

Not Expecting the Unexpected
We also experience unpredictable changes: jobs change, financials change, friendships change, plans change, relationships change… everything changes, for better or worse.  

Natural disasters bring destruction, and even death, such as horrific summer heat, wildfires, tornadoes, hurricanes, freezes, and floods.

Such disasters happen in our personal lives. Job loss, a devastating illness, a destroyed marriage, financial ruin, death of a loved one, loss of a home.

We all experience disasters in our lives at different times, and some more than others.

Beauty in Change
Yet, there is also a beauty in each season. Spring and summer displays God’s glory through blooming flowers and breathtaking sunsets. The winter showcases snow and ice that dazzle in the sun and moonlight, like the icicle stalactites that glisten as they hang like shimmering ornaments from trees and homes. We cherish such wonder with awe.

We also experience beautiful moments in our lives: the birth of a baby, a happy marriage, a happy home, a new puppy, a treasured friend, a special celebration, and those in our lives that we love and the fun adventures we take with them. However, they all change, too.  

What are we to learn from changes?

1. Whether good or bad changes, God doesn't leave us unprepared. He gave us the Bible to prepare us how to avoid disasters in life, or to go through them and come out stronger and closer to Jesus.
   
   Avoiding Disasters
   The Bible reveals to us that with Him, we can avoid disasters that Satan ensnares us with. It tells us what’s wrong in our lives and how to make things right. If we don’t follow Him, we can get caught in sinful disasters that destroy us and our loved ones. With and without Christ is as different as night and day. Live in the light, or in the dark. Live in the truth, or live a lie. Walk in freedom, or live behind bars.
   
   Walking Through Disasters
   Ephesians 6:11-13 says, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.”  Daily we wonder why we feel exhausted wrestling with so much, it’s because we are.
   
   Take comfort in knowing the Bible repeatedly promises that God will never leave you. Don't let go of His hand! Trust Him and talk to Him, and He will give you peace.  Philippians 4:6-7 says, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
   
   
2. Trust God in your fear of change. According to LinkedIn¹, some common reasons people resist changes are:

• Fear of the unknown: A change could lead to negative consequences and place us in situations we are unfamiliar with.
• Comfort with the status quo: We don’t want to step out of our comfort zone. 
• Loss of control: Some feel secure when they can be in control of things.
• Old habits die hard: Some fear breaking a habit may be too difficult and don’t realize the potential in adopting new ones can make things much better.
• Past negative experiences: Having bad experiences that have resulted from changes can make us skeptical about embracing future changes, even if they may lead to positive outcomes. 

What does Jesus say about our uncertainties? Matthew 6:26 reminds us His eye is always on us, “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” He also promises in Jeremiah 29:11, “For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a hope and a future.” 

We grow through changes. With Him, He prepares us to face what’s happening now, and what’s ahead. Trust Him.

3. Enjoy the beauty of each season in your life. Each season brings new beauty. Each change we grow through brings new things to appreciate.

4. Transformation. The seasons remind us that everything is transformed. Plants wither and die in the fall. Flowers bloom and trees grow new leaves and branches in the spring. Caterpillars wrap themselves in a cocoon against the cold, and in the warm spring becomes a beautiful creature, unrecognizable from the old.

Such it is with us when we accept Christ and grow in Him. We become transformed. Our old self dissolves and is made new in Christ. The renewing of our minds in Him, and our actions to His will, revives us from death with Satan to invigorating life in Christ.

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!" —2 Corinthians 5:17

5. What is unchangeable. We can’t stop changes, and God won’t stop changes from happening in our lives that help us grow to be more like Him. One significantly comforting thing to know is that God never changes. His love, forgiveness, mercy, and compassion are constant. His promises endure. He doesn’t shift like the shadows, nor turn, as Satan does who promises us one thing but delivers another.

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.“ —Hebrews 13:8
“I am the Lord, and I do not change…” —Malachi 3:6  

Click here for Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 – There Is a Time and Season for Everything