The Coming Change

Change. Not even all of the leaves have fallen off the trees yet and the snow clouds have come and plunged the Northwest into a natural state that looks much like the arctic. Mother Nature took leave of her usual schedule and skipped a few weeks ahead into a brilliant world of snow, ice, and the crunch of the leaves forgotten underneath the dazzling white blanket of snow.

Change: it requires us as humans to live differently; to work at adjusting, but change is necessary in order for life to renew itself. Each season waltzes in and over and around the earth and in its wake leaves (no pun intended) the earth and its features in a new state. Seasons happen in our lives as well, maybe in a more emotional sense than what happens in the natural world around us, but this is not by mistake: God is making things new.

The mountains are steep and strenuous, but there is a view to behold at the top that leaves one feeling accomplished and satisfied. The valleys are low and sometimes very dark from the trees shutting out the light from above, but there is something new to see in the valley even still. I believe God calls us to both places. If we are given new glasses, it takes time for our eyes to adjust, but in the end we see the world around us in a different way.

God desires for our lives to be ones filled with vibrant color and for us to become individuals and families who thrive! In order for this to happen, we have to be willing to flex; to be creatures willing to change. I asked myself this question last week, “Have I made room in my life for Jesus to move around and to change things in my heart?” I was disappointed when I discovered I had only allowed Jesus to fit into the cracks of my life instead of giving him enough room to work in my life. In order to make more room, I have to be willing to cut some things out of my life or move them around in priority; I have to be willing to change. This is hard. This takes time.

In Alaska, people are aware of the drastic seasons. They spend time weather-proofing and preparing for the long winter. They are aware of and anticipate the coming change. May we as individuals who seek to live fuller lives, full of Jesus, hope for, open our hearts to, and anticipate the coming change.

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. ‘I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.’” - Jesus (John 10:10&11 NIV)