Searching for a Constant in an Ever -Changing World

A Constant in an Ever-Changing World

My little guy thinks he’s playing in the national championship soccer game to be televised to the whole world this coming Saturday. He imagines that he and his team will hoist up (or run around) the same trophy that is awarded the NCAA National Champions. His excitement level for his last soccer game of the season is at an all-time high. And with his excitement level, his expectations are also super high – to WIN the game and finally score a goal! It is the last game after all! My little blessing is five. Reality is, his game will not be televised, and only those present will have the enjoyment of watching. And, there is not a trophy, but a medal…for every participant.

All of this excitement and expectation has led us to having conversations with him about what could really happen on Saturday. They might win and we will be thrilled, but they could lose the game, and we need to respond appropriately by not weeping on the field but giving our high fives and ‘Good game’ to the opponent.

Sportsmanship conversations are important, needed, and has also led us to talking about God’s love. Our conversations look a little like this: “Who loves you the most if you and your team win this game?” Response from little blessing: “God does.”

“Who loves you the most and just the same if you and your team do not win the game?” At first, there were long pauses before I answered my own question. But as we near Saturday, he now responds, “God does.” Even though he knows the true answer, You can still see his little mind processing this information.

It’s important for my little man to know that good or bad, win or lose, God’s love for him is the same. AND, God is the same! At first glance, this might seem trivial; since it is a five and under soccer game we are talking about after all. But this truth applies to me, too. Why is this important to me? What difference does it make in my day to day life as a stay-at-home mom?

But Everything Is Changing. . .

In an ever-changing world, God is the only constant. This is one of my favorite characteristics of God. He simply cannot change. He is God and there is none like Him. He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow (Hebrews 13:9).

It is not hard to feel overwhelmed just reading or listening to the news. It’s all about change. Let’s consider a few things that could cross our minds in one day:

• The weather is constantly shifting; you can’t remember all the recent changes to your homeowner’s insurance. Will the house be okay in the next storm, or if it isn’t, will your insurance cover it?
• The political climate and hot topics in Washington, D.C. – some directly impact you. Will it change your life? Your children’s lives?
• The school board is rezoning the school district…again. You love the teachers and have adapted to your current school’s routine. Will this devastate your child? Will she make new friends? Will you?
• You just got a phone call that changed your world. Friends who are more like family receive a cancer diagnosis. Their world is turned upside down. And so is yours.

How we respond to change reveals what we believe. Yes, there is a time to grieve what was lost – whether it is a life or a dream. And tears are needed to wash away the emotion and hurt. But in the tears, in the grief, to what are we running and clinging ? The easiest thing to cling to is fear. All the ‘what if’ questions flood the mind. Deep sorrow, fear, anger and bitterness could consume you.

OR we can cling to the One who doesn’t change, but is constant.

• Unlike unpredictable weather – God does not change like shifting shadows (James 1:17).
• Unlike our wavering affections – God’s love is steady, unchanging and inescapable (Romans 8:38-39).
• Unlike the political climate (internationally, domestically and locally) – God is in complete control of the universe (Isaiah 40:28) and in complete control of those who are in political leadership (Proverbs 21:1). He knows you by name and calls out the stars by name each night (Isaiah 40:26; Psalm 147:4).

 

Why is this Important in our Ordinary Days?

In a world that is constantly changing, God is the only constant.

Friends, when you have joy filled moments and feel like you’re overflowing with love and rockin’ this mom thing – God is with you and He loves you. And friends, when your day feels destroyed by your temper, hurtful words you cannot take back; temper tantrums and meltdowns – God is the same as He was yesterday, and He will be the same tomorrow. His love for you hasn’t changed. You cannot escape it.

I fell in love with this attribute of God after my dad was diagnosed with the terminal illness Lou Gehrig’s disease. During that same period, my sister was running away from home and making poor choices. In the midst of it, I found my mom crying or being just plain mad at the world most days. I developed an eating disorder craving something I could control in my rapidly changing world. I was thirteen and fourteen during this time period.

Over the next year, I surrendered my life to Christ after searching for a way out of the anger that was consuming me and the fear I was drowning in. I read James 1 and felt like I was the one being tossed about in the waves not knowing what I believed. Then, I got to James 1:17, which says, “God does not change like shifting shadows.” My ever-changing world now had a constant, and I was no longer being tossed in the waves. I received my first taste of God’s love, and it was greater for me than anything I had ever known.

Friends, it is hard to run in the opposite direction of fear, but let us run to God instead. Let’s train ourselves and train up our children to believe that yes, everything in this world and this life is constantly changing, but God can never change. He never will.

And His love can never change either.

In fact, His love was so great, He sent His only Son to die on a cross, so that we would know this truth: His love for us is greater than anything we can ever understand (Romans 8:32).

Join me in teaching our little blessings now (even while they are small) that God never changes, and that His love for them can never change because God Himself never changes. And this truth can change us, too. On days when we think we are doing great at this mom calling and days we think we have failed miserably, God is the same and His love for us knows no end. When really difficult trials enter our family and we are flooded with questions about why such a hard thing is now part of our lives, God loves us and He is the same today as He was yesterday before the hard news.

 

God is our Constant in an Ever-Changing World.

Knowing and believing in God’s immutable, unchanging character is foundational to how we respond to trials and how we view God from our earthly, fallen state. And if we train up our children to know that even in sports and in school, whether they win or lose the game, ace or fail a test – God’s love is the same and He is the same. We will teach them to build their lives on the only firm foundation, Jesus Christ, on whom they can stand for life.

Lord, thank You that You are the only thing in this world that is constant and unchanging. Help us to see in your Word how You are the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. May this truth about who You are change how we view ourselves and the hard things in our lives. May we see that because You do not change, Your love for us does not change. Thank You for being constant.