Changes: Learn to Love Them

August, 2005

by: Jay Underwood

Change. Some people like it, some people don’t. Some consider it a blessing, some a curse. Some see it as something exciting, some see it as something dreaded. Some see new possibilities, some see their world falling apart. Regardless of whichever way you see it, change is a reality of life and this is very much true for the Jr. High ministry at this point in time. We are going through several changes, not the least of which is a change in leadership and of course this change affects everyone in the ministry, the students and the staff. We also have some brand new 5th (soon–to–be 6th) graders and we have lost our outgoing 8th graders.

Well, a few Sundays ago I taught on the subject of change and thought it appropriate to bring to you now as it is something that all of us go through at one time or another. On that morning we learned about four characteristics of God that once they are understood and whole heartedly believed in, then change can be viewed not as a negative part of our life but a positive.

The first characteristic is that God is sovereign (Ps 103:19). He has supreme and unlimited power and authority over all of creation (Ps 115:3). This includes the universe, the world and all that happens in it and us and our lives. Along with this, God is also omniscient or all–knowing (1 Jn 3:20), nothing can happen good or bad without God knowing about it and allowing it. We see a prime example of this in the story of Job.

The second characteristic is that God is trustworthy and therefore dependable (Prov 3:5-6). As a believer, we have to depend on God because if left to our own devices, our sinful nature will always cause us to “crash and burn.” The Disciples needed to trust and depend on Jesus as He was asking them to give up everything and follow Him.

The third characteristic is God’s omnipresence; He is always with us, walking with us, helping us and guiding us. We see this in many texts such as Joshua 1:5 and Matt. 28:20. The fourth and last characteristic is that God always wants the best for us (Rom. 8:28). God is not some oppressive ogre who wants to get His way by forcing us to obey Him and do all of these things that we really don’t want to do. He does not take pleasure in our unhappiness. It is true that we will go through changes in life that may be unpleasant or difficult but there is always a very good reason for it (James 1:2-3). Joseph is a great example of how God put someone through immense trial and change only to be blessed in the end.

Remember, change is not a bad thing! God has a purpose and a plan for you at every stage of your life, including times of change.