I’ve been thinking about change over the past couple of months. Thinking about things that are constant and make me feel comfortable and other things that make me feel like a tight muscle being painfully stretched. Our family has just returned from a couple of months on the mission field in Thailand. We experienced a lot of this stretching as we were away from home during the holidays. Traditions and constants, like those we practice especially during this season, are so important to us because they help us feel secure, keep us grounded, and we know life as normal.
During Thanksgiving when we were so far away from our regular comforts, I thought about the pilgrims on that first Thanksgiving, who didn’t have security of tradition. I think their lives were probably just a big mess of change and uncertainty. They had left everything they knew behind and faced hardship after hardship; BUT, I believe that on most days, any one of them would have told you that their suffering and sacrifice was going to be worth it…because they had their eyes on something bigger than themselves.
We need change and sacrifice because they give us perspective, teach us to trust, and stretch us (which is painful but beneficial). God uses change to get our attention and to realign us with a bigger picture. If God moves you into a season of change, and you are asked to give up some of the things that keep you feeling secure and grounded, give in to it– believing in faith that sometimes we are asked to sacrifice good things so God will give best things, which always involve being closer to His heart and accomplishing His will.
