On Change

When the for-sale sign went up, the tears came down. Something about the sign made it real for my daughters and me. We have loved our little home, our neighborhood, our church family and friends. And yet, we sense it is time to move on…

I know we are not the only ones facing change this year. Many families are dealing with the new and the unexpected.

Maybe you’re moving too. Or maybe you’re trying to navigate working from home, or schooling at home… and there’s a little nervousness that comes whenever we step into the unknown.

In any case, I know I am not the only one whose little comforts of “home” are changing.

Even though the walls we live will change, and the very landscape we see out our window has shifted, our family remains knitted together. Our family brings with us little traditions wherever we go – special dinners on Friday night followed by Sabbath rest; read-aloud tea parties in the afternoons; long hours in the backyard planting and dreaming and playing. And there will be new friends to get to know, new relationships to build, new memories to make. But we won’t forget the relationships God blessed us with here…

The stuffed wicker chair will come to my new front porch, and will remind me of the cousins who sweetly gave it to us. The bird feeder my daughter and husband built together will remind me of the girls’ troop she was a part of last year and the friends we made there. The lobster pillow we take out each summer will remind me of the day I went shopping with my little girl and she squealed over it.

Most importantly, we carry Jesus with us. He is the only one who will never leave you, whose love never fails, who remains constant no matter what we face. “He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you or abandon you.'” (Hebrews 13:5.)

Change is unsettling to us, but it’s not to Him. He was not surprised by anything that happened this year, and He is able to keep us through it. He is still God and He is still good and He still loves you.

I just want to pray a prayer of blessing over anyone who reads this today: “The Lord bless you, and keep you, make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26). This is an ancient Hebrew blessing but it’s also recently been written into a beautiful song; look up “The Blessing” to play it over for your family.

In Christ,

Laura