Tuesday, May 28, 2013

When Change is Thrust Upon Us

learning to fly
“It may be hard for an egg to turn into a bird: it would be a jolly sight harder for it to learn to fly while remaining an egg. We are like eggs at present. And you cannot go on indefinitely being just an ordinary, decent egg. We must be hatched or go bad.”~C. S. Lewis

My son Josh graduates from high school this Friday. Thank God he’s not leaving the nest, as well. I don’t think I could handle that much change all at once. I’m definitely not ready for him to fly away! J

At times I think—if only he could be a toddler again for one day. Sounds like a good plan, but life doesn’t work that way. And would we want it to? Some days I’d answer with a resounding “Yes!” but then I realize God gives us the fortitude to go through life once—not twice. And it’d be pretty selfish to wish someone else’s life would be put on hold to satisfy our longings.

So why is transition so difficult? We know when we have children, their years under our wings are limited. But we often wish for them to “get grown” while trying to slow them down at the same time.

C.S. Lewis has a point. We balk at change and rail at monotony. We can’t have it both ways. But when change is thrust upon us, a practical solution is to stay busy.

So…
 
Since Josh is graduating and our daughter Lindsay is returning home for an extended weekend, we decided to do a long-overdue deck remodel. Our Australian Shepherd Dixie had claimed the patio chairs as her own, so we replaced the old patio set, our old grill, and added a water feature and deck plants. 



These pics don’t do it justice, but these are the “after” pics. I wasn’t smart enough to think to take “before” pics.


 
 


We left Dixie one old chair to keep her off the new set.  
 
While change is often bittersweet, we can revel in the splendor of the greatest change we could ever experience—when we repent of our old ways and accept rebirth through Jesus as our Lord and Savior.

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 KJV

Praise God!

I heard this song for the first time this week. It fits well with the theme of change. I hope you're as blessed by it as I was.


I’m all about encouragement, so this week I’m asking you, my readers, to share some. What ideas or favorite scripture passages do you have to encourage others going through transition? Perhaps the change is not as happy as graduation but something that leaves one feeling helpless like the death of a loved one or moving to a new city. If you’ve “been there, done that,” share an encouraging comment for those in the throes of change.

And if you have a prayer request or praise report, I’d love to hear from you. E-mail me any confidential requests. Would you take a moment to visit Sgt. Jesse McCart’s page at the top of the blog (new photos added), as well as the Mission page which has the latest opportunity for you to help out? The biggest way you can help, as always, is prayer.

God bless,
Laura

©Laura Hodges Poole

14 comments:

  1. laura my mother in law also just heard this song and got the cd because she too loved it. i have loved rascal flats from their first cd. as for a favorite scripture i have recently found Psalm 91 and it is truly an encouragement to me. hope others find it to be.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love Psalm 91. Great encouragement there! Thanks for stopping by and sharing.

      Delete
  2. I don't accept change (good or bad) with much grace. I'm slow to embracing it.

    But when tough times come, I think of Psalm 119:71, "t was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees."
    Each trial helps me understand God more, His love, grace, justice, and so on. Without affliction, I wouldn't be complete, I'd be shallow.
    Thank God for His grace that carries me through all life's changes!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I can relate, TC. I don't like change, either. Psalm 119:71 is a great passage and encouragement. God bless.

      Delete
  3. I enjoyed reading your thoughts. Change has always been very hard for me. A lot of the changes I've experienced, until the last few years, were negative too. I used to get really afraid that the negative things would prevent me from reaching my calling in life. But then the Lord quickened 1 Peter 1:4 in my heart: that my inheritance in Him is beyond the reach of change. No matter what changes, His plans for me and you won't change, and our destiny is secure in Christ. That has brought me a lot of comfort for years. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm glad you enjoyed the post. 1 Peter holds a lot of encouragement. I so thankful that God's plans and our salvation will never change! God bless you. Thanks for stopping by.

      Delete
  4. Some of my favorite scripture verses are Jeremiah 29:11-13...hence the title of my blog!!! HOPE the rest of your week is great!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love that passage in Jeremiah 29. I enjoyed visiting your blog. Thanks for stopping by. I hope you have a great week, as well!

      Delete
  5. Laura, I have felt the same way with each of my children. I loved having little ones and wish they were little again sometimes. But, after reading this beautifully written post, I thought of something. When Luke was 3 months, I said, "this is the BEST age, I wish he would stay like this." At 6 months, I said, "No, THIS is the best age." I said the same thing at 8, 9, 10 months, then at 1,2,3,4,5.......yrs. I repeated with each child. I am enjoying Hope and James as teenagers and Luke as a college student. I dread the day I don't have my kids close to me, but I turned to Psalms (of course) and 103:5 tells us that He satisfies our years with good things and our youth is restored like the eagle. I don't know where the years will take my 3, but I simply pray that the Holy Spirit will be present in their lives. And honestly, I do feel younger in spirit as they grow up.
    Thanks for this timely post. And your deck looks GREAT!!! Good Job.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi, Laura. My life verse since I was a teen has been Isaiah 40:31 - They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up on wings like eagles." My son "flew the coop" 3 months ago and now lives 4 hours away, but we have gotten to visit him a couple of times and he's actually coming home for a visit this coming weekend. Change isn't easy, but with God's help we have come to accept what must be.
    In His Love, Ann @ Christ in the Clouds

    ReplyDelete
  7. Proverbs 3:5-6 has long been a life Scripture for me. No matter what direction the Lord leads, we will be fine if our eyes are fixed firmly on Him and HIs direction. Have a lovely summer!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Kaye. Hope your summer is great, as well. God bless.

      Delete