Encouragement,  hope

Seasons Change But God Never Changes

Change is in the air.  I can feel the subtle change of Autumn before I see it in the color of the leaves.  The animals begin to gather and store for winter and soon many birds will begin their long migrations.  My flowers are displaying their last burst of color while harvest has begun. I really do love the fall with its cooler nights, colors, sights and smells.  But I do not look forward to the cold and shorter days of winter. I am a New Englander so I love the change of seasons but I do not really embrace them all.

Yes. Change is in the air.   For children of all ages it is a new beginning. New backpacks and classrooms with a calendar full of promise for the school year.  The school bus rolls by my street with happy noises within.  After a summer break which always seems too short the “new year” has begun.

 

Not everyone embraces change though.  Some children are fearful of the unknown and so are some adults.  Our political climate is both exciting and scary.  The news is usually bad both locally and globally from weather to war but we have no real control over any of it.  In the beloved tale of Mary Poppins the children asked how long she would stay. Her reply was, “I’ll stay until the wind changes’.  Unlike a governess who was there for a specified time,  I trust in The Lord God Almighty Who never changes and will never leave me.  The Bible gives me the answers I need to face every circumstance and I am securely anchored in the knowledge that God is bigger than my problems and questions.

 

Malachi 3:6  For I the LORD do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed.

Hebrews 13:8   Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

James 1:17   Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

 

I turned 65 in June and spent some time in reflection on the brevity of life.   My mother passed away very suddenly at age 73.  What if I have less than ten years left on this planet?  That puts a different spin on everything!  I want to live well, love well and finish strong in my faith.  He still has a plan and a purpose for my life as long as I am still breathing.

 

Ephesians 5:15–17    Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.  Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

Isaiah 46:4    …even to your old age I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save.

 

Billy Graham once said, “Men change, fashions change, conditions and circumstances change, but God never changes.”  What a great promise to hold onto.  The winds will change, the sand will shift but your life is in the hands of a loving, all knowing, always present and all powerful God.  I am only human and yes I do have many concerns and sometimes I don’t like change but I am not afraid of the future.  You can have this peace and confidence if you trust in Him too no matter what season you are in.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2 Comments

  • Gail

    Thank you for the reminder that God will never change.

    Such beautiful descriptive words causing me to focus on the word pictures you provided.

    Thank you for the reminder that since I am 64 and my father died at 72, time does pass quickly and am I focused fully on my Lord and His will?

  • Maggie Wallem Rowe

    I always appreciate your thoughtful essays, Nancy. Change is such a two-edged sword, isn’t it? It can hurt us or help us depending upon the circumstances. And yet thankfully we are not dependent on circumstances when we are focusing on living within God’s will for our lives. I am more determined than ever to continue to challenge myself in my senior years, and with that comes change. (That photo at the top looks like glorious fall in New England! I’m looking forward to being at Berea the last weekend of September.)