Faithful Love

I had been holding off on picking up a new book to read because I am anxiously awaiting to see if I was selected to be part of another book launch. However, without a book in my hand, I feel the same way I do when I have that dream about going somewhere in public not fully clothed.

Anyway, I did decide to start reading something while I wait. And in light of the past week, I opted to start a book that's been awaiting my attention for a few months, Girl Meets Change by Kristen Strong.

While I am not far into the book at all, after reading the foreward, I realized I am already in trouble.

Change is something God uses to get our attention.

Myquillyn Smith

You can be assured I underlined those words.

Even if I look back on a short period of time, say a few months, I can see evidence of how God brought about unexpected circumstances that required me to change in order to get my attention. I can also look back and see evidence of circumstances God brought about in order to get me to change, and I didn't, and I am still dealing with the repercussions of my stubborn nature.

Right about now I am thankful that I just read this quote so close to 'the change' so that maybe this time I can take full advantage of finding what God is trying to show me.

Generally speaking, most changes are not horrible. The truth is they rub us the wrong way because we like predictability and stability. We find it easier to maintain the status quo than to start over. Not so coincidentally I was part of Leanna Tankersley's book launch for Begin Again last month. Funny how God has such a good sense of timing and sometimes (what I perceive as) a snarky sense of humor.

However, despite the unexpected, God remains the same. Always. Forever. Unchanging.

Not that this is the only time this appears in Scripture, or even the first time, today I read it in 1 Chronicles 16:41. Give thanks to the LORD for His faithful love endures forever.

That right there is why we can be okay with change. Even the change we don't want. Because behind it, no matter what we are tempted to think or believe in the moment, is faithful love.

As this week comes to an end (and all the people said AMEN), how about we use the weekend to think back about all the changes we've both welcomed and resisted. Whether we look back at the last few weeks, months, or decades, I'd be willing to bet we'll see that the motive behind each of them has been faithful love to bring about something we hadn't even considered and was undoubtedly better than our plan. And maybe if we can do that, we'll start to look at change a little differently and start welcoming it as an old friend instead of our greatest enemy.