Change

Change

We are in the midst of the largest transition since being married. In fact, the last three years could be described as restful, steady, educating, fun. There are so many ways to describe the last three years, but changing is not one of them. I am taking some time to reflect on our time together in Lynchburg as we are transitioning our life to Florida. I have an overabundance of things I am thankful for…these are just a few. Within each one I could go on and on about why I am thankful for each of these; they truly are all little miracles and blessings.

1. Family

2. Apartment

3. Jobs- fulltime and all the little odd jobs provided when we needed!

4. Car

5. Church

6. Friends- old and new

7. Neighborhood

8. Bicycle

9. RUF

10. Marc and Amy

11. Small group

12. Furniture

13. Food

14. Student loans

15. Vacations

16. Co-workers

17. Marriage counseling

What have I learned over the last three years?

1. My faith in Christ is encouraged and grown in its weakest moments by the testimony of Christ working in others lives. This is experienced mostly in my small group. When I am afraid, doubting, struggling and weak I listen to the members of my small group share what God did for their friend or family member or ways the He spoke to them this week through others or the Word and I am encouraged. It’s like I am experiencing a blanket of protection surrounding me as we are together. Then I walk out for the remainder of the week with this encouragement that God is real, He is alive, He is working and He hears me.

2. I am a Saint that sins. Why is this so significant to me? I have always known that I am a sinner. However, I am often tempted to identify myself first with my sin and then as one belonging to Christ. I am tempted to believe that my sinful struggles (unkind speech when I’m angry and critical/judgmental thoughts of others, to name a couple) are what identify me and I will always bear these and there is no hope of change because I’ve always been this way.

No hope, really? I was recently challenged, in a marriage counseling session, on this belief I have held for as long as I can remember. Either, the gospel is not true and we do not have the Holy Spirit and there is no hope for anyone of us to change OR the gospel is true, the Holy Spirit lives within me and will bear forth its fruit. When I tell myself I am Saint that sins, I am reminding myself FIRST that I have the Holy Spirit, I have been adopted by a Heavenly Father that is transforming me into the likeness of His Son and then yes there are sinful struggles (each of having certain ones that seems to be our identity), but those sins are NOT chained to me, they do not forever have to identify me! Hallelujah!

a. I would say a sub point of this lesson I have been learning over the last couple years, and more so over this last year in particular, is that I need to repent more. I wage war in my own spirit over my sin and I try to figure out how to stop, but then I realize I haven’t even come before my Father and laid my sin before Him. I will continue struggling and it will be burdensome until I lay it before Him in repentance and prayer.

3. He provides! Abundantly! I have to be reminded of this time and time again. I am a planner and a budgeter. I have a plan and budget for everything I do. I would also like to consider myself logical and reasonable (clearly I think very highly of myself- yuck). So, what happens to my world when Tim and I both get fishing tickets and I get a large speeding ticket all in the same week? I freak out- this wasn’t in the budget! So much for our free place to stay in the Outer Banks, now I have this huge speeding ticket and I wasn’t even trying to speed. You get the point! Then I read Matthew 6:25-34 and breathe!

²⁵ "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? ²⁷And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?^{[a] 28}And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, ²⁹yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ³⁰But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? ³¹Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' ³²For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.³³But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
³⁴ "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."

We are moving to Florida. Our lives as we have know them over the last few years will undergo lots of physical changes- weather, where we will live, jobs, friends, where we will worship, places we go out to eat, places we shop, instead of hiking a mountain we will go to the beach, but one thing will not change. The One who is our hope, in whom we cast our cares upon remains the same and He will not leave us or forsake us.

I am so thankful for these lessons and the many others I didn’t write about. They anchor my soul to the only unchanging being that holds us through all the changes that this life will bring; they anchor my soul to Jesus. How timely!