Life Notes: Keeping Bright Through the Changing Seasons
by Bonnie Gaskins

From the moment we are born we are in a condition of constant change — seasons change, conditions and circumstances change.

New people enter and leave our lives, teachers change, our bodies grow and change, our children grow and change into adults, and even our roles & relationships change from students to adults, to husbands, wives, supervisors, co-workers, mothers, fathers, daughters, sons, etc., new ideas & relationships also enter for us to ponder and incorporate with what we have learned so far and add to our perceptions and views of life. Our lives are full of changes.

How are we handling changes in our lives?

Sometimes we don’t always embrace and welcome change. We can resist, dread and fear change. There are some of us who don’t like the seasons to change. But that is God’s reminder to us that change is constant and something that He designed to be part of life. The beautiful colors of fall, the sweet fragrance of spring, the fun in the sun of summer and our winter frolics are all indicators of His Glory of change given to us.

Changes will come. There is no question about it. Yet, we can often defend, protect and react to change with great resistance. Longing for things to remain the same, to be as they always have been. We will always encounter the people that say, “This is how we have ALWAYS done things”. They will refuse to entertain anything new, or open themselves to change.

Strange that in our world of constant change we can decide to control our little corners of the world by not allowing things to change. By dictating to God what He can and cannot do in our lives. He has given us free will. He will allow people to resist and choose life with Him or death.

Yes, I said death… Death to him entering into our lives and controlling it. Death to His rule and reign in our lives. How many times has God sent someone into our lives and we have resisted them, their ideas, their point of view and decided our way is the right way?! Shutting the door to what He wanted them to do in us and us in them.

We can enter God’s rest. Trusting in Him to bring what He wants, change what He sees needs to be changed and let go of all our past wounds that keep us in fear of changes.

So whether it is New Orleans rebuilding into something new, or the loss of a loved one, or the change in seasons, we can embrace and take shelter in God’s ability to change things for the good and rest in the knowledge of His Lordship and control over all things. We do not need to live in fear or dread of what is to come. We can embrace and get excited about the newness of ideas and reviving of the changes ahead.
—

The Life Notes articles are written by staff of Louisiana Methodist Children’s Home and are published in The Ruston Daily Leader.