Change?

I was thinking this morning of how my life has kind of been a dichotomy of likes and dislikes and do’s and don’ts!  Let me explain…

In particular, I was thinking about change.  When push-comes-to-shove, I really don’t like change.  I think the same could be said about most people.  But yet, as I look back at my life, I can readily see that my wife and I tended to be proponents of change within our immediate circle of friends, family, co-workers as well as with the members of the various churches in which we served. 

For me, the rumbles of change were first heard in high school, when I began to date this spunky, freckle faced, enthusiastic, bundle of joy named Piper, who amongst her many other positive attributes (at least to me… not so much my Catholic family at the time) talked about Jesus like He was her best friend!  I was raised that one’s religion was very personal and private and not to be shared with others.  So… when she came over to the house, much of my family’s comfort level was stretched.

For Piper, it began with her getting serious with this Catholic guy.  She later told me that it highly concerned her Baptist Father.  Then after attending her church for many years and serving as Youth Ministers there, we shook up our Baptist friends by leaving and becoming members of a small (but powerful in the Word) Pentecostal, Word of Faith church that met in all places… in a hotel room!

Then there was my wife’s dream and passion to homeschool our kids (both our Dads were teachers and to put it mildly… they thought we were beyond crazy!), our calling and burning desire to the ministry and not being happy with a “normal” steady, well-paying secular job, our desire to raise a large family, our love for hot cars, our pioneering spirits that really set us apart from the rest of both sides of our families… and the list goes on and on!

So, even though I didn’t like things to change… we were always open and obedient to whatever changes… no matter how drastic they were… that we felt the Lord was directing us to make.  After a while, we just accepted the fact that many people would not understand us and think that we had lost our marbles!

And so, here I sit today, forced to live without my best friend and the love of my life for 48 years, some 1800 miles away from our home in northern California, living through some wild thunderstorms, tornado warnings, high winds and quarter size hail… like the threats we had last night… with no mountains or an ocean for miles and all the while, trying desperately to accept the fact that BIG changes are looming on my horizons.    But lately, I’ve begun to have some new insights on my present life and foreseeable future.

Ephesians 1:10 tell us that “because of God’s unfailing purpose, this detailed plan will reign supreme through every period of time until the fulfillment of all the ages finally reaches its climax—when God makes all things new in all of heaven and earth through Jesus Christ.” (The Passion Translation)  Now, I understand that in the context of this statement, that Paul is writing about God’s plan for mankind through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, but I also am beginning to see that I can take it as a word from the Lord for my particular set of circumstances.  When I first read this yesterday morning, I couldn’t help but jump up from my chair at my desk and shout “GLORY!”

I suddenly understood that God’s plan for me hasn’t changed.  That his unfailing purpose with the detailed plan that He has had for me will continue to reign supreme through every up and down of my life!  That yes… some of the participants in His plan may change, but His overall plan and purpose for me hasn’t!

I’m gonna date myself here… but for some reason, as I pondered all this in the shower this morning, I recalled a TV series that I really enjoyed back in the 1970’s called “The Rookies.”  At the end of the first season, one of the main characters left the show and was replaced with another actor… and let me tell you, I was NOT a happy camper!  I really liked the actor who left… he was my favorite character on the show.  To me, the whole show revolved around him.  Needless to say, I did not like the change. 

To me it upset the established interactions of the other main characters.  It introduced new tensions into the show, and in many respects, changed the flavor of the show.  But the more I watched the series (which went on for another 3 seasons), the more I began to enjoy the new character.  I even began to realize that the new presence on the show brought a new spark and depth to the overall success of the storyline.

And with those thoughts in mind, I started to envision the positive possibilities of living the rest of my earthly existence without Piper.  I began to see from Paul’s words in Ephesians 1:10, that God wants the TV series of my life to go on with its original plan and purposes intact… but with the changes of a major character and its physical shooting location!  I don’t know why, but that really brought a new peace to my being.  In my way of thinking, life for me now will consist of some personal adjustments and not compete changes from the way things were before.

Then as I was slipping on my shoes before the dog and I stepped out for a walk, I started to get a little excited and laughed thinking that God wants to bring some new flavor and spark into my life.  I recalled that at the end of Psalm 91, that the Lord promised us that “You will be satisfied with a full life and with all that I do for you. For you will enjoy the fullness of my salvation!” (Psalm 91:16 The Passion Translation)

Today I am beginning to realize that the Lord only has GOOD things planned for me and that if He has His way… that I will ENJOY them!   Have a great rest of the week, and as you do, say with me… “I am expecting to enjoy the life that my Father God has plan and purposed for me to live!”