The -ber months are upon us – September, October, November, and December with September already in the rearview mirror. Fall is my absolute favorite season of all! I realize that I probably live in the wrong area of the country to truly experience Fall given that this part of Texas has approximately 8 days of true Fall-like weather, but I love the cooler temperatures (and lower humidity), nonetheless. For me, Fall has always served as a gentle reminder that change is coming, and it is a beautiful thing!
Several years ago, I wrote an article about how chaos often occurs before change takes place and I quoted a phrase that my dad often told me, “Change is the only constant in life.” My dad was very well read but I was fairly certain that he did not make that quote up, so I did a bit of research and Googled it. Interestingly, a Greek philosopher named Heraclitus who live some 500 years before Jesus Christ gets the credit for having said that, “change is the only constant in life.” Heraclitus was an interesting guy who had some rather dark and radical philosophies, but he is said to have influence many other philosophers including the likes of Plato and Aristotle. Interesting that a quote from so long ago can still be relevant to today’s society and its challenges.
God, our Creator, is no stranger to change either. There are some 151+ mentions of “change” in the Bible. However, God declares in Malachi 3:6, “I, the Lord, never change.” And so, as Christians in pursuit of relationship with our Creator, we are the ones called to change. God never changes, yet people do: our bodies, our brains, our ideas, our values. In fact, God built into us the ability to change and giving us the ability to think, reason, and to draw conclusions. Change is inevitable. Change is constant. Change for its own sake is neither good or bad. The question for each of us is what change is taking place around us? And how are we working to ensure that the change is making a positive impact in our lives and in the lives of others?
In a world that is constantly changing, I pray that you will welcome the change needed to help share the love and light that Jesus offers. Yes, perhaps my dad and Heraclitus were right but how we each welcome that change into our lives and how we respond to that change can be life changing and life giving to not only ourselves but to others around us.
So, as the weather begins to slowly change from the dog days of summer into somewhat cooler temperatures here in Austin, may we embrace the changes that lie ahead in each area of our lives for the only thing in life that is constant is change.
Shalom,
Pastor Heidi