A Time for Reflection, a Time for Change

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As one year draws to a close and we find ourselves approaching the dawn of a new year it’s only natural to take stock in where we are.  Not necessarily to make lofty New Year’s resolutions, but maybe just to see where we’ve been over the past year and think about where we are headed. We change and grow from year to year. In some years the changes are more evident than in others. We experience changes in our circumstances and in ourselves.

This past year has been a year full of changes for me. Some of  them good and some not so good. Some people embrace change, loving the excitement of something new. Others struggle with change, even those things that are good.

I am one who struggles. My kids tease me about how I don’t even like to rearrange furniture. Just leave things the way they are. I’m used to it this way so don’t mess with it!

Some of the changes I’ve faced this year have been wonderful. Two new granddaughters were born, a son got married and another one moved to his own apartment. I got a newly remodeled bathroom, a new, more efficient air conditioning unit and reorganized several other rooms in my house.

Other changes were not so wonderful. My husband’s employer  began downsizing, one son was diagnosed with diabetes and two others with liver conditions that are hereditary.

Change is an inevitable part of living on this planet. We can’t avoid it. We must learn to adjust to it. And yes, even good changes require some adjustment. As we make these adjustments, we also change.

Each of us is changing all the time. Sometimes we aren’t even aware of it. It’s a process that we each go through. Some of us have been through many things and have changed drastically. I know I’m not the same person I was when I moved from Ohio to Iowa almost ten years ago.  We are all at different stages of our journey with God. He takes us forward one step at a time, guiding us all along the way.

Change isn’t always easy but it’s good for us. I can’t stay the same and grow at the same time. I must allow God to direct the transformation. It’s hard. It’s uncomfortable. It’s necessary.

The good news is that God doesn’t change.  And it’s comforting to know that while he’s transforming us, the standards won’t change as we go along.

He is the same yesterday, today and forever.

Lord, I pray that I am not.

As you begin this new year, take a bold step and ask Him to change you!

2 Corinthians 3:18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.