Jump Start # 4096
1 Corinthians 15:51 “Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed.”
Special Note: There will be no Jump Starts posted next week. I will be moving to Noblesville and getting things set up there in our new home. After that I will be commuting back and forth for a few weeks until my last day in August. Jump Starts should resume the week of June 22. I plan to continue to write Jump Starts for some time still. You can always find past Jump Starts at: Jumpstartsdaily.com
As I write today from my office at the church building, I’m looking at empty bookshelves that once held my collection of books. Many are in boxes ready to head to some new bookshelves in Noblesville. I am beginning the process of moving out before the next preacher moves in. And, all of this brings us to the lesson of change.
Let’s just be honest, change can be hard. Some do better with change than others. We get used to things. We become very comfortable. Same schools. Same job. Same house. Same church. There is something really good about that. But one thing about life is that it is constantly changing. Like a river, constantly flowing and moving and changing, so is life. We out grow one house and move to a new neighborhood. CHANGE. The kids graduate from elementary school and move on to middle school and then high school. CHANGE. Co-workers leave and new people are hired and they are not the same. CHANGE. The preacher moves and a new preacher takes his place and he is different from the former one. CHANGE. The kids graduate from college, get a real job and move out. CHANGE. The neighbors move and the new ones aren’t very friendly CHANGE. The time comes to put your spouse in assisted living after all these years together. CHANGE. The Lord calls one of you home. CHANGE.
We look at those things and want to scream: STOP IT. We don’t like change. We didn’t ask for change. But, that river life continues to flow.
Here are some thoughts:
First, we can fight change, get upset by change, become bitter about change or prepare for it. We realize it’s going to happen. A ten year-old doesn’t stay a ten year-old for twenty years. He is ten years old for only one year. He grows. He changes. Knowing that the river of life never stops, it makes us learn to enjoy the moment. Enjoy that year with the ten year-old. Enjoy the friendship with the neighbors. Enjoy the fellowship with your preacher. Be thankful and grateful for what you have.
For my wife and myself, this house we are leaving has been very special to us. This is the longest that we have ever lived in one house. We’ve loved the scenery, the gardening, seeing the wildlife and having the space for family and friends. It’s been a real joy living here. It’s been our favorite place. Is it hard leaving? In some ways, but, we understand what the next season in our lives brings and it’s time.
Second, while change can be scary and uncertain, it can bring more opportunities and adventures. We’ve seen that in our lives. Leaving one city to move states away was tough. All of our kids wanted us to move back. However, in time, they all excelled in different ways that probably would not have happened had we not moved.
Mistakes are often made, especially in the church, when we try to duplicate one congregation to another. You can have the same classes and programs, but people are different. It won’t be the same. Rather than trying to copy one place into another place, use the talents, vision and resources that are available at the new place.
Third, the only place where we won’t find change is in Heaven. We won’t be aging. We won’t pass on and leave the presence of one another. No one will be moving. And, what a blessing and comfort to know that and to look forward to that.
Sometimes within the fellowship of a congregation, some fight change, because they are wedded to tradition. Always done it this way is not always a good standard to go by. What worked in the past may not work today. As long as it is Biblical, give the new idea a chance. Don’t shoot things down simply because it’s something new. You may find that you actually like the new idea and it may even help you to grow closer to the Lord.
Change—it’s coming. For me it’s coming real fast.
Roger