Philippians 4:4-9 (NASB) ‘Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. ‘
For most people, change is a frightening thing. In many instances, for a great deal of people, change means a feeling of loss of control. Routine is comforting for most. I wake up, this is what my morning, afternoon and night will be like. I will likely do this and see that. Change comes in so many forms. It can be subtle, cataclysmic or anything in between. It can be a change in thinking, doing, work, home, relationships. It can come in the form of a loss, a gain, an illness, an achievement or a setback. It maybe something we were working towards, or on and it can be something we were trying to avoid. Change is inevitable, unsettling and rewarding. What’s the point? It’s coming, daily in one form our the other. Some of it will fall into our scope of control, some will not. Some will require a choice, decision, action or inaction, some will not. It will all illicit a response and/or reaction.
Regardless of the scope, effect, circumstance, the horror or elation, we must expect and accept that it is coming. We also need to know it is not to be feared. We, as God tells us, are a consummate work in progress. Everything that we see, do, hear and experience is shaping, refining and changing us in one form or another. What doesn’t change, ever, even in the slightest, is God and His assurances.
Worry never adds to a situation, but peace does, hope does, faith does. Pursuing Jesus Christ and following the path He has laid before each and every one of us is not always an easy proposition. But, that should always be the focus. Even in the roughest of circumstances, change is not to be feared, but embraced as but another step we must take that leads us closer to the refined self that Jesus intends us to be.
When faced with change, be it a career move, a new home, marriage, divorce, whatever, our focus needs to rest firstly and wholly of God, His wants, desires and guidance in our life. The why will not always be immediately evident, but through trust and faithful obedience to His leadership, the big picture will begin to reveal itself, and the need for the change and refinement will begin to unfold.
So, before you allow yourself to get bound up, worried and anxious over a change taking place or even the prospect of a change, remember, God never changes, ‘He works all things to good for those who believe and follow His commandments’, trust in the Lord and embrace whatever He has in store. Have a blessed weekend.
In full pursuit of the greatest Trophy,
Scott Pace
