Recently, I’ve noticed a change in myself. I am fifty-two years old. Normally, I shave every day, usually in the morning. On occasion, I will skip shaving if I know I won’t have to be presentable for a few days. I have noticed that the stubble that covers my face is no longer the reddish blonde it was in my twenties; it’s not even black. In fact, the whiskers are white!
As Christopher Kennedy so adroitly explains in his book Unfailing: God’s Assurance for Times of Change, change is inevitable. The question is how a Christian is to interpret, process, and cope with change. His answer is as the Lord’s children, we can accept, cope with, and even benefit from change when we rest on the unchanging nature, love, and forgiveness of our heavenly Father for the sake of Jesus Christ. Kennedy summarizes:
“God promises to be your steady rock when your world is in flux. He continues to supply us with all we need out of His boundless goodness.” (p. 35)
Considering the entirety of life, it is hard to find an area of life that doesn’t experience change. Our bodies and minds grow old, we are subject to illness, and we struggle against the effects of an accumulation of injuries sustained over our years. Regarding work, we obtain and lose jobs, duties and supervisors come and go, and income fluctuations affect our standards of living. Personally, we meet new family and friends, and there is estrangement, separation, divorce, and death. The effects of these changes are unavoidable.
Kennedy writes:
“Virtually no area of life is exempt from change. Churches change as old members die or move away and new members join, bringing their own ideas and interests.” (p. 15)
To boot, there are changes outside of us as well: weather, seasons, housing, government, and the like. The difference with these external changes is that, although we may have less control over them compared to personal changes, we do have control over how much they affect us and how we process those changes. The author asserts:
“Societal changes are challenging in their own ways. They affect us, but to some extent, we can keep societal changes at arm’s length. Their impact is dispersed among many people.” (p. 19)
I can turn off the news, with its springlike barrage of negativity. Even if I have but one vote in the presidential election, I can share the experience (whether positive or negative) of the president’s governance with other people. There is value in that. The shared misery of cold, dark winter can bring people together, and I can dress warmly to protect myself from it.
What is just as important—whether the change is personal or external—is how I process it. Kennedy notes, for example, that we don’t have to take change personally. What is more, in many cases, change is beneficial, even if it’s challenging. I may grieve the loss of food my doctor says I can’t eat anymore, but my health will improve for its absence in the long run. It may take time to adjust to a new supervisor, especially after losing one dearly loved, yet his or her successor may bring assets to the job that are not immediately apparent.
Kennedy explains that part of properly processing change (especially when it is painful or challenging) is to remain mindful of its cause. He writes:
“The Bible is all about change. God created all things good. Then Adam and Eve fell into sin, tragically altering the relationship between the Creator and His creation.” (p. 33)
Any change that involves sin has its roots historically in the Garden of Eden and presently in me or another person. Old age, disease, injuries, death, strained relationships, divorce, poverty, oppression—none of these were planned or intended by God. This is important to remember, as we are often tempted to blame and resent God when troubling change comes along.
When dealing with change as a Christian, recall daily the change that God has made in each believer. Kennedy states:
“Baptized into His name, you are freed from the curse of sin and bound for heaven. Eternity awaits! Resurrection awaits! In Christ, change is here and change is coming, and it’s all for the good!” (p. 37)
Before the work of God, I was a lost and condemned sinner, facing the Lord’s judgment, wrath, and eternal hell. In mercy, God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to be our Redeemer, paying the full price to buy a lost and condemned people from sin, death, and the power of the devil. In our Baptism, we are tied to Christ’s resurrection and anticipate joyfully the return of Jesus. Each Christian is a child of God.
These changes in us—changes from lost sinner to child of God— are brought forth exclusively by the work of God and are indispensable for coping and thriving amid change. As His children, God has called Christians to love and serve their neighbor and to bring to fruition God’s promise to provide for the needs of people. But God has also called Christians to render the most important service—to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Kennedy’s overarching point is based on God’s unchanging nature and the eternal changes He has made in us at His own expense. Because of God, we can love Him and serve our neighbor without fear of failure.
Quotations in blog taken from Unfailing: God’s Assurance for Times of Change © 2024 Christopher M. Kennedy, published by Concordia Publishing House. All rights reserved.