Change

Around our house, we consider November to be one of the most difficult months of the year. It’s dark, cold and the beginning of winter weather. But the 11th month is also a time of change. Daylight savings time ends, and regular time begins. Baseball season stops, replaced by hockey and basketball. Summer flowers give up the ghost and the snow arrives.

Most of us are uncomfortable with change. We reluctantly face the new when the old was just fine. Change demands action, readjustments and new strategies. We have to be patient with change because, most of the time, it can’t be stopped. We just must accept it. An aging friend suffered a stroke and was forced to move into a nursing home. Having lost much of her independence, she faced living in a small room with someone she didn’t know. She said, “It’s not so bad. You just have to accept it.” What a great attitude about a difficult change in life.

King David lived through many big changes and wrote the book of Psalms to tell us about them. He went from a humble shepherd to a national hero, then became an enemy of the state. Soon he became the king, admired by all, but then despised for his failures. His throne was strong, but he lost it to his son – only to be ushered back to power again. In many Psalms he cries out for God’s steady hand during all the madness.

One of his favourite descriptions of God is the Rock. “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge” (Ps.18:2). In his youth as a shepherd, huge rocks served as protection from storms and wind – a place of refuge. In a wider sense, God Himself served as a refuge during the changes of life.

Change may not be fun. Sometimes it’s good for us. Often, it’s very hard. But the Rock still stands as a refuge for you.

And November? We can handle it.

– Tim Johnson