Kristin Reynolds: A change seeker

Hebrews 13:8 (NIV)

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. 

Reflection:

The summer before my senior year in college I decided I needed a change in scenery and I wanted to see what life was like outside of my little bubble. I had taken summer school classes for the last 3 years and with graduation just around the corner it was time for me to explore other parts of the country other than Texas.  Where does one go when the options are endless but the money is not….to a small town in Maine to work at a summer camp of course. My friends thought I was crazy and my parents were leery of letting their oldest daughter fly up to Maine to work for a camp director I had never met in person and only spoke with over the phone once or twice. This was well before iPhones and texting, when you had to rely on phone calls and mailing letters to communicate with loved ones. But off I went at the end of May and spent three glorious months working and seeing New England. While that summer was one of the best experiences of my life, not all change in our lives is as joyful or as wanted as that adventure. For example: though adventure/change was positive for me it wasn’t very pleasant for my parents. As a parent now, I understand the discomfort of watching my children enter new seasons of life. Alas, change is a constant in our lives

So what do we do when our lives are turned upside down with unwanted change?  

Today’s scripture tells us because “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever,” we can rely on God’s constant, steadfast character for reassurance and comfort in uncertain times. Unlike His unchanging nature, my attitude changes daily and sometimes hourly depending on the circumstances..happy, joyful, grumpy, frustrated, it’s like I am a teenager sometimes. However, God’s unwavering character remains consistently grace-filled, loving, forgiving, and faithful which allows us to find peace in our ever-changing world.  In addition, when we need a sure foundation under the sinking ground of our feet, we can trust God’s unchanging presence, purposes and promises to give us something secure to stand on.  

What better story in the Bible illustrates this point than God’s promise to send a Savior for the purpose of forgiving our sins and fulfills this covenant through the birth and resurrection of Jesus Christ?  Or what about the story in Genesis where God promised Abraham he would make his descendants into a great nation and accomplishes this promise in Exodus when Moses leads the Israelites out of Egypt? When we find ourselves in uncertain times we can look to the Bible and find endless examples of God’s unchanging ways and purposes to give us peace, deliverance, and reassurance. 

While that summer in Maine was a welcomed time in my life we don’t always find ourselves in joyful seasons but in this ever changing world we can always trust our unchanging Lord.  

Prayer:

Dear Lord, thank you for your unchanging ways yesterday, today and tomorrow.  I know life will have its twists and turns, but you are always there to guide me.  In those uncertain times Lord, I will look to you to find reassurance and peace.  I pray all of this in your Holy name.  Amen.