The summer humidity continued to wrap its hands of suffocating air over Ted’s mouth. Fall eventually came and he started breathing again. Those crisp, cool mornings were welcomed like rain in the desert. The change of seasons were the only type of change Ted seemed to embrace. He cherished those refreshing morning walks before facing another day of responding to e-mails, audits, and problems discussed at lengthy staff meetings.
He’d give anything to get rid of change if it only involved opening a window and letting it fly away, back to where it came from. Everywhere he looked, change raised its ugly head. The 24-hour political news power house. The text he received stating some of his friends are moving out of state, including the guy he rode his mountain bike with. The supervisor, who believed in a particular employee, left the company, which resulted in that hard working employee not being promoted.
Ted is that employee. He spends his days looking down, which turns into a downward spiral as lies enter his psyche, “You are only as good as the people who are behind you and support you.”
We long for some type of constancy to hold on to, even if our fingernails break. When parts of the life we love come to an end, we are prone to feel like we never got to make a mark, much less leave one. We fight voices that say, “You are just a number,” and “You don’t really matter.”
Change is the foundational sinking sand of our unstable world. If you stand in one place for too long, you’re history. How do you reach for help? Who is ‘gonna pull you out?
Even though the seasons change, God does not.
He is our reference point. Hebrews makes it very concise and clear. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” (13:8, NLT) He’s our HELP. He waits for you to call out His Name, and “really” trust His promises.
I can compete with our changing world, or I can REST COMPLETE in Jesus.
The late Dr. Paul Brand said, “I forfeit autonomy. Ironically, however, renouncing my old value system-in which I had to compete with other people on the basis of power, wealth, and talent-and committing myself to the Head abruptly frees me. My sense of competition fades. No longer do I have to compete through life, looking for ways to prove myself. Instead, I have the singular goal of pleasing God, of living for an audience of One.” (Fearfully and Wonderfully)
A promise I cling to is the same one that the prophet Jeremiah, known for his depression, clung to: “The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is His Faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each morning.” (Lamentations 3:22-23, NLT)
Regardless of the season you are walking through in your life, your marriage, or your job, REST assured, a fresh supply of God’s mercies are available for YOU to draw from today.
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watercolor courtesy of Nelson Haynes. More can be viewed under Menu.
A shot of reality! Change is hard and without God in the center of our life, it can become too much to handle.
When we pray for others and for ourselves, this should be on the top of our list. Thanks for another much needed devotional.