God is Unchanging
As we make our way through November, Kimberly reflects on how so much can change in our life. Through all this, we should look to and take comfort in that God is unchanging and His love unwavering.
By Kimberly Ross
There is something deeply impactful about the changing of the seasons. Though the climate intensity is different depending on where one resides on the globe, the feeling of turning the page remains. We take stock of what has transpired and look forward to what is to come. But this is not always a welcome change.
Beginning a new chapter can be equal parts exciting and terrifying. The thought of "what lies ahead?" sits heavy on our minds. This doesn't just apply to personal struggles but challenges in the world around us, too. What we see happening nationally and internationally can quickly become overwhelming.
One unrelenting feature of the earthly constraint called "time" is that it marches on in perfect fashion. When we would prefer that life speeds up, the tempo of time is unaffected. When we would prefer the minutes and hours go slower, to savour precious moments, the speed of the clock remains unchanged. This is a sometimes frustrating reality of life: no matter the good or the bad we encounter, its pace is similar. The cadence is untouched.
Where I live, autumn is welcomed with open arms. The summer months drag on, longer than other regions of the country. At times, the warmth and humidity are downright stifling. Anticipation is always high for that first cool breeze. Autumn is not just a respite from the summer, but a reminder of the constant renewal that is ever-present in life.
Ecclesiastes 3:1 reads as follows: "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens." As humans, we know the times and seasons include plenty and want. They include times of drought and times when the cup overflows. Yes, change can be unsettling, but all is proceeding as planned. Further on in Ecclesiastes 3:11-14, we find this encouragement:
"He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet[a] no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God. I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him."
From our first breath, we are changing. Our families change. Our lives change. We get older much quicker than expected. Hopefully, we grow wiser. In the midst of all the ordered disorder is one constant variable that happens to be the most powerful of all: God is unchanging. Best of all, His love never wavers. Through valleys and sorrows, mountaintops and successes, that steadfast love carries on, and carries us.
So far, this earth is all we've ever known. That construct locks us into the calendar whereby we structure our hours and days. Even if we are exhausted by it, that mortal organization at least makes us feel tethered to something. Might I suggest we fasten our security to God, His plans for us, and His deep, inextinguishable, eternal love for us?
As humans, change is part of life. Absolutely nothing remains the same. Except God. We can - and should - hold fast to that through every earthly chapter.