Look to Jesus to deal with change

Easter has passed. We continue to rejoice in the Risen Savior. The weather is warming, and the days are getting longer. Rain has been falling and planting is going. Times are changing. Some of our children are now going into the world. Some of our adults are no longer with us. Times are changing.

Sometimes we look at change with trepidation and even outright fear. Change can mean the end of some things, but it can also mean the beginning of something else. Jesus often talked about change. He preached for change in life and heart all the time. In Jerusalem, He spoke of the death of a seed. (John 12:23-26). While He was talking of what was going to happen to Himself, He was also pointing out what to expect.

A seed must change to become a plant. That change is not pleasant. The husk must be broken, the roots must push through the dirt, and the stem must push up through the soil. The seed becomes no more, and the result is a plant which becomes a producer of seeds. Look at the butterfly. It starts off as a caterpillar, but after some growth and some time in the chrysalis, it becomes a beautiful, winged creation of God.

I don’t believe change is either good or bad. It’s how we approach it that makes a difference. Do we get angry because things are different, or do we accept the change and find the beauty that is in it? If we can do the latter, then the change we face will be a benefit not only to ourselves but to those around us.

Change has always been at the heart of Christ. He called for us to change our ways, our thinking, and our habits. Those who followed Him were expected to live lives they had never lived before. As Paul put it, we were to be transformed by the Spirit. Transforming means we do not conform to the world; we change into the creation God intends for us.

Change is the constant of life, and each day we see something new and different. Each day we have to decide whether we accept the same old stuff or change to a new thing. God is doing a new thing, and that is changing the world for the Kingdom.

You and I are called to change into the image of Christ. We are called to build The Kingdom. We are called to look at others as brothers and sisters, not adversaries. We are called to be different in a world that wants conformity. The most important thing is that we change for Christ, not for the world.

We are in different times. The world is changing around us, but not always for the better. We need to make sure our change is for Christ.

If that change means we need to move on, or let go, then that’s what we need to do. If Easter has taught us nothing, I hope it has taught us to look to Christ.

Change isn’t always easy but change for Christ is always best.

Just a thought.

Shalom my friends. See you in church.