Change
Change
In the fall of last year, I ran in one of my favorite places – a local park with several difficult trails. As I ran, I was amazed at the color of the leaves – brilliant red, Tennessee orange and a variety of colors that made it appear that I was running in a kaleidoscope.
Just recently, I ran the same trail but long after winter had set in. The forest was completely different. Though the turns and climbs of the run were the same, the trees were barren and I felt a dissimilarity about the place. Rain had washed away dirt and the trails seemed to have more rocks than usual. The wild flowers that once pointed my way were gone. Dry, crusty leaves lay everywhere. It seemed as if I was running the trail for the first time.
Perhaps you feel the same with some people you have not seen for a long time. Maybe you know you should know them, but you cannot quite place where you know them from. You may have even forgotten their names. And to make matters worse, their appearance has changed. (And, so has yours!)
Do you remember leaving for college and coming back home for a holiday visit? It just seemed different. Maybe you returned to a city where you grew up and struggled to find your way around streets and neighborhoods. Likely you have returned to a former place of employment and knew instantly that things were unlike what you remembered.
A major challenge for each of us is to adapt to change – when required or necessary.
On the other hand, what a great feeling it is when there is a constant in life. Some constants for me: a morning sunrise, hearing my car start when I turn the key, the joy of listening to a sonata by Mozart, the hug of a grandchild, the love of a spouse and a retreat called home.
Our Savior’s love for us is unchanging. Nothing can take it away. It is eternal. As the writer of Hebrews says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” (Heb. 13:8)
Larry Yarborough is the Chaplain for the YMCA of Middle Tennessee in Nashville. He can be reached at lyarborough@ymcamidtn.org and on his profile page here.
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