by: Susanna Kozlow
The constant in the midst of change. It's always a person.
I have had recent thoughts how change takes place in our lives. There’s subtle changes and big changes. There’s changes we make and changes that seem to just come and takes us by surprise.
I’ve often heard that life can change in the blink of an eye from those that have had traumatic experiences in their lives. Whether it’s a divorce, a loss of a loved one, or dynamic that changes how they live everyday, it sure does force life to take a turn.
Then you have those less traumatic changes. Whether your changing your eating habits, ridding yourself of a bad habit, or evening moving and changing jobs. Change seems to change the trajectory of all the constant in your life. Some good, some not so good.
Change; the inevitable it seems. Change brings on confusion and growth. Too words that seem to be so different.
Change in how we love when we surrender our lives to Jesus is also one of the most important changes that happens. It brings on transformation and dying to one self.
So it got me thinking. Why is it so hard? Why is changing perspective and changing our lenses so hard when we encounter Jesus and make a decision to follow Him? As human beings, it’s not in our nature to want change. We fear it. We fear the loss of control. So, of course, we will fear handing over that control.
I’ve recently started a bible study, bringing this study to my 14th bible study I’ve taught. In my list of introduction I always start with , I ask a series of questions before we dive into all the material.
My question? Who is Jesus to you?
Answers were pretty similar to each lady. My comforter, my provider, my go to, my defender, my love. But one stood out.
There was one word; Jesus is my CONSTANT.
What a way to describe Jesus, I thought. In a world that nothing seems to stay as is, where life seems to take unwanted turns, God gave us Jesus. Our Constant. Never changing Rock.
Yes, I thought. How much more do we need Him when life seems like a roller coaster going 100 miles an hour and won’t stop for us to breath?
We are women who seem to be trying to keep up. We are mothers having to take care of our babies all the while worrying about navigating the changes in their lives. We are wives seeing changes in our marriages and navigating how to keep it grounded . We are working women who take on the burden of providing a constant for ourselves and our household as the economy changes and we have to keep up.
And when we are disciples going out and doing what Jesus commanded us to, we deal with people and the traumatic changes that happen in their lives. All the while pointing them back to the one who provides the solid foundation and doesn’t change, Jesus.
What a perfect word. Jesus is my CONSTANT.
He doesn’t change in a world that changes in a blink of an eye, it seems.
So What does God say on how He does not change? How He remains our constant?
As you search scripture, God reminds us countless of times that He doesn't change. He can be called upon as things change, but He....does NOT!
“For I am the LORD, and I do not change. That is why you descendants of Jacob are not already destroyed.” - Malachi 3:6
"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.And one that stood out to me" - James 1:17
God's truthfulness and unchangeableness guarantee the blessings of God's people.
"God does not lie nor change His mind. God is not like man who sometimes does lie and change his mind. God's faithfulness guarantees the promises to His people." - Numbers 23:19.
We have recently gone through our own changes in ministry. After much prayer and fasting it was clear. Changes needed to be made. I didn’t take what I heard lightly. Quite frankly, I fought it wanting things to stay the same. All the while seeing that change needed to happen because that’s what God told me.
As I sat and mourned the change, bible opened, thinking, and asking myself what would ministry look like now, I was reminded by my 9 year old son, something so special.
(Yes, my child had words of wisdom for me. Words that pierced me and I knew it was Holy Spirit.)
He said “mom, ministry is not who you are, ministry is Gods, and you are Gods”. As my mouth stood open in awe…. what I heard was exactly what I needed to hear.
My identity is in Christ, and as changes happen all around me, my identity doesn’t. Because it’s grounded. Ministry belongs to Him, and I belong to Him. If He wants change, then He will have it, and that’s good and holy. He doesn’t change, though change
I thought, what words of wisdom from my son who happened to be passing me by on his way to grab a snack. Comical as it was, it was truth.
Jesus is our Rock and never changing in a world that changes. We can trust Him in all of it. Even when we don’t understand.
A rock stays still. It may be withered due to temperature changes and other factors, but it stays put. The security of it stays still.
So, in a life that moves so fast, that brings on circumstances and change consistently, what a comfort to know that our God doesn't change.
Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8)
Now, thats a Constant I will gladly stand on, and I hope you do the same.
