Change: It's Happens to All Of Us
September 8, 1999

Change will happen to all of us. Lately, I've been cataloging my CD collection, which has over 450. There are many different artists ranging from Metallica to Yanni. Although it is diverse, I enjoy listening to them, although not all on the same day; that would be too drastic. There is music from the '50s to the '80s, from Rock to Heavy Metal, and all areas in between. You could say I have music for any type of mood I'm in.

If I look back on the music I enjoyed over the years, my taste seemed to fluctuate between one extreme to the next. I could be listening to county one minute and Gospel the next. I enjoy variety, yet I don't want to be stuck in one peg.

I used to be like that. For almost 2 years all I wanted to listen to was Metallica, especially after going to their concert in 1992. I became obsessed and purchased all of their CD's from Kill Them All up to The Black Album. I still enjoy listening to them on the radio from time to time, but I'm not as obsessed with them now.

The change wasn't drastic, but rather a slow movement from one extreme to another. One that barely registers like the movement of glacier. It is slow and steady, but always moving forward.

Why do we change? It's God way of telling us that the more things change, the more He remains constant. I know that what I enjoy now will change. My clothes will be out of style, my car will rot away, my hair will fall out, but God doesn't change.

We change to become like Jesus. We try to maintain a sense that although our world looks like it's falling apart, God is in control. He was in control from the beginning and will be in the end.

We can't rely on ourselves, our leaders or our families, for they will leave you down the wrong path. Worst, they can abandon the dreams they started.

They had vigor, full of zest but somewhere along the way, they changed and saw something completely different then when they started it.

Looking At Ourselves

If you look at technology, clothes and music, you see that everything does change, sometimes not for the better. We often wonder why can't I just stay the way I am? It may not be where you need to be, or where you really would like to be. Think of this moment as only a period of time, moving from one place to another. Where that is, only God knows.

It may seem that although our lives will change, we wish something's would never change. It's that moment when two people are in love and would really like to be together forever. Eventually, the love will deepen as the years go on, or it will fade when the newness has worn off. We would like to stay the same but can't. Change is something we learn from, adapt to and move on. We hope to make a better world that when we came in.

How many times have you've heard old folks say, "When I was your age…." We are told of how everything was more affordable back then. How people cared for one another, and that crime was nonexistent. We may look back and wonder why the news has gotten more depressing, the weather more severe each year, and feel a yearning for simpler days. But if we look more closely, we see that those days weren't any better than today. There were racial tensions, influences like rock and television made major impacts in society. Today's world has hate groups, Internet and a deteriorating sense of Christian values.

Looking Backwards

Change happens in big and small ways. The big ones are the easiest to see and hardest to adapt to. Whether it's a change in your job, having a baby, getting married, losing a loved one, we learn to adapt and change with it.

It's those minute one that catch us off guard when we look back at it 5, 10 or 15 years from now. We look and wonder, "How did I not see that coming?" or "Man I can't believe that person has changed for the (good/bad)."

In a song titled Unanswered Prayers by Garth Brooks, he tells of a High School reunion meeting his old flame. He was deeply in love with her, and wanted to marry her, but didn't. As they talk, he realizes that life has changed and neither couldn't say much about the good ol' days. He realizes that God had a better plan for him.

Although we enjoy the moment, this too will pass. It is unfortunate that things have to change, but it will be a fact of life no matter what. We could try to make time stand still, but it is always moving forward. We change, we learn, we grow to become like God. For me that is what faith is all about.

Looking at my life in the last 10 years, I have seen some big and small changes. Moving from NYC to Texas was big. Learning a new way of life, new friends, new churches, etc have been the majors one I've have encountered. Yet, there are small ones that take me by surprise.

My faith with God has only deepened with time. I no longer yearn for the things of this world. I've learned to take control of my finances, my health, and my general outlook on the world. Although I've changed, many of these are positive, and have given me great rewards.

Don't be afraid of change, rather embrace it and learn from it. Life an only teach you a lesson, so it well.