CHANGES

David Bowie once said "Ch-ch-changes / Pretty soon now you're gonna get a little older / Time may change me"

Due to recent events in my life [related to health] I have had to make some changes. I've had to change things I eat, what I drink, increase my movements, etc. Change isn't something that comes easy to us as humans. Some may tolerate it better than others or deal with it better in some aspects of their lives, but none of us really excel with it. 

Growing up I always loved watching my dad. He always moved about his day so methodically. He had [and still has] a routine for everything. I remember him coming in from the garage before going into work [he worked 2nd shift for my entire childhood] - he would sit down on the left side of the couch, unlace his boots, and walk straight to the shower. His boots would sit under the coffee table and be waiting on him later when he had to go into work. We always knew not to sit in 'dad's spot' (and we still don't) and not to interrupt his routine. It would just throw his day off. My mom on the other hand...she's one of those who likes to mess with the routine. To this day I honestly believe that my parents never fought while Dillon and I were living at home and I still don't think they do. If they ever did, they sure had a good way of keeping it from us. I do remember Mom getting creative sometimes though when she'd get frustrated with dad around Christmas or when she wanted to move the living room around. He wouldn't want her to move the furniture because it was different, but somehow she always ended up with the Christmas tree where she wanted it...anyway, mom would always say "I'm going to move all the furniture in this living room to the left a quarter of an inch while your dad is at work just to drive him crazy when he gets home!" She knew that any sort of change would honestly upset him. 

In the life of a child, nothing has more of an impact on them than consistency whether it's with their education, home life, routines, etc. They need that source that will be the same no matter what else goes on in the day. Friends, we are children of God no matter what age we grow to be. God IS our consistency. He's the one that never changes. We can go to him anytime, anywhere, with anything. In Ecclesiastes 3:14 we see a perfect description of Christ: " I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him." We must set our eyes on things above, most importantly, our Father. I grew up knowing that even if I went out to play, ran to grandma's, or took a nap, my dad would still be in the same part of his daily routine. You could set your watch by him. Our relationship with Christ is the same way. We should know him inside and out and be able to have confidence that he'll come through no matter what we're doing. We should be such an example to others regarding the consistency and power of Christ that men should fear (yes, fear!) it because he always comes through. When God says he'll be there for us, he means it [the Bible says so in the Ecclesiastes verse and in Hebrews 13:8 "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever."]

I guess in some ways I'm similar to my dad which is what brought this up to begin with. I don't care for change, but in slightly different areas. It's always reassuring to know that no matter what life throws at us, we have a true, powerful, mighty God who will always be there for us in the good times and in the bad. The book of James is my favorite book of the Bible and I love the wording of this verse:

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." - James 1:17

In Matthew Poole's Commentary on the phrase "with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning" he says: The sun, though it scattereth its beams every where, yet is not without its changes, parallaxes, and diversities of aspects, not only sometimes clear and sometimes eclipsed, but one while in the east, another in the south, then in the west; nor without its turnings in its annual course from tropic to tropic, (to which the Greek word here used seems to allude), its various accesses and recesses, by reason of which it casts different shadows: but God is always the same, like himself, constant in the emanations of his goodness, without casting any dark shadow of evil, which might infer a change in him.

Going back to the lyric from David Bowie, I'm beyond grateful that time is one of the many things that will never change our God.