Change

Suggested listening: Still, My Soul Be Still by Keith and Kristyn Getty

“Still, my soul be still
And do not fear though winds of change may rage tomorrow
God is at your side
No longer dread the fires of unexpected sorrow
God, you are my God and I will trust in You and not be shaken
Lord of peace, renew a steadfast spirit within me to rest in you alone.”
~Keith & Kristyn Getty~

“It was a September evening
and all the gaps and clearings in the woods
were brimmed up with ruby sunset light.
Here and there the lane was splashed with it,
but for the most part it was already quite shadowy beneath the maples,
 and the spaces under the firs
were filled with a clear violet dusk like airy wine.”
~L.M.Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables, Ch.24~

As Buckingham Palace has a Changing of the Guard, so too does Wisconsin have a Changing of the Wardrobes. I’m not just referring to the arboreal beauty of our trees, but also the fashion shift to our much-loved sweater season. When we see the first leaf make its arabesque off any given tree, we take it as a sign to happily don our sweaters and scarves, much as the carefree lilies and wildflowers of the field in Matthew 6. I also love the visualization Psalm 65 gives us, where we read that “the hills are clothed with gladness … the valleys are mantled with grain” (Psalm 65:11-13). Yes, Lord. Help me clothe myself with gladness through these sometimes-hard seasons of change.

Because change can be both glad and sad.

Though we eagerly anticipate some changes—rites of passage like graduations, weddings, and births—our culture does not adequately prepare us for what we consider to be negative changes, like illness or death. These changes can be overwhelming. As a child, I remember the task of boxing up our summer clothes and making the Great Exchange for the sweaters and long-sleeved shirts of fall and winter, lovingly caressing the woolen and softly blended yarns. The process brought a looked-forward to anticipation of change. And yet, while it was a blessing to receive boxes of hand-me-downs when my own children were young, I personally found it to be an overwhelming production to purge outgrown clothes and replace them with the mounds of assorted sizes.

Living in a bent and broken world can be so overwhelming. When change is thrust upon us in the form of illness, our optimistic image of change is shattered, tearing through the canvas of our well-laid plans, and how can we ever find Normal again? Hospital visits violate our rhythm of normal, can knock the wind out of us, and once out of our well-preserved framework, how is it possible to step back into our former narrative again?

Change is inevitable, and finding the new norm can feel like a life-threatening arrhythmia that plunges us into desperation and hopelessness. To what or whom can we look to revive us? As a defibrillator shocks the heart to restore a normal heart rhythm, we can look to the promises in God’s Word to restore hope amid despair, grief, and fear. Because He is close to us in every season.

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
~Psalm 34:18~

“So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
            ~Isaiah 41:10~

Despite the changes we experience and amid despairing situations, may we create space and time for ourselves to clear the refuse from summer’s harvest, the deadened stalks, and dried-up grasses, and lean into God’s never-changing faithfulness to us. He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow (Hebrews 13:8). He is our peace in the storm (Mark 4:39).

“Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father
There is no shadow of turning with Thee
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.”
~Thomas Chisolm~