The following article by Lyndon Swarey in the Open Hands newsletter really spoke to me this week as I was struggling with facing some changes that are just ahead in life. I needed this reminder.
Change is an inevitable fact of life. For some of us, it is something that we do not look forward to. It brings uncertainty about the future, and a new normal can be scary. If we are comfortable in our current situation,we may want to resist change as much as possible. Whether we like it or not, our lives are surrounded by change. Even though change is good, there are things we wish would never change.
Almost everything is subject to change. Our bodies grow and age. Relationships change over time. Material objects decay or break. Our lives are changed by experiences. Time is based on change. The amount of disorder or entropy in the universe is increasing. Change makes up the fabric of our world, and there is nothing in the physical world that is not changing. Change is the result of living in a temporal world.
When I was in my late teens and early twenties, change was something that I looked forward to. It meant I was becoming an adult. There were new opportunities and new things to experience that were exciting. I welcomed that change.
In the last few years, the glamour of change has diminished, and I have become more resistant to new ways and new things. Change means I must stop doing what I have done for the last few years of my life and adapt to a new reality. The life that was predictable, normal, and comfortable, is exchanged for uncertainty and a belief that things will work out somehow.
Even though I do not always look forward to change, I would not want to live in a world where change was not possible. Without change, life would become monotonous. Change brings new opportunities and experiences that can impact our lives for the good, and teach us new things. If we are unwilling to change, we cannot continue to grow spiritually and mentally. 2 Corinthians 3:18 states that we are being changed ". . .into the same image from glory to glory, even by the Spirit of the Lord." To be transformed into the image of Christ requires change. This is not a single change that occurs in a moment, but a process that takes a lifetime. As Christians, we want to become more like Christ and this means we will need to change.
Christ becomes the frame of reference in an ever-changing world that determines whether the change is good or bad. If the change is taking us closer to Christ and enabling us to grow in our faith, that change is good and healthy.
While our lives and the world round us are constantly changing, there is one constant in the universe that never fluctuates or changes. James 1:17 says, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning" God is the only constant, and He never changes. In the midst of change, we can always turn to him and trust Him that He will lead us through life.
Knowing God will always be there and that He does not go back on His promises makes facing change easier. When change is happening around us, we can rest in Him and His promise that He will never leave us. God is our rock in a world that is constantly changing, and He always knows what we need to make us better people. When we are facing uncertainty, God calls us to trust and rest in Him. It is only in God that we can experience true rest and peace in an ever-changing world.
2 comments:
The current address of the property is 217 E. Maple Grove Rd., Narvon, Pa. Google maps can show you where that is. It's just above Bowmansville but the address is Narvon because it's on the north side of the turnpike. John Musselman owned the land before he gave it to Ulrich. Glad to hear there was a benefit to someone from my work.
The turnpike cut apart what had been Ulrich's farm. The land on both sides of the turnpike belonged to him. He got it from his father-in-law, John Musselman, on March 16, 1764. (Lancaster County Deed E3-15) The deed says it was the land John got from the Penns in 1750 (Patent A-14-536 to John Musselman). John deeded another tract of his land to his son, Mathias, on the same day in 1764. That land was on the south side of the turnpike. The old red stone house built by Mathias' son Christian still stands on the upper part of that property.
John Musselman got over 300 acres from the Penns. His land was bordered by Maple Grove on the south, Horning road on the west, up to Sauder's Garage above Lauschtown Rd. on the north, and Mountain Lane on the east.
I do not know Ben Stauffer. My email is shown below.
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