The Winds of Change

Ah, the winds of change. They whirl and twirl all around us every day. Some days we notice, some days we don't. Some days we see them coming and other days they sneak up on us unexpectedly. But they're always blowing.

Today was hard and exciting, all in the same breath. We sent out into the world a lovely young couple with two darling children to go to China for a year where they will be teaching and ministering. We also sent four of our youth, including the pastors oldest daughter, to Oklahoma City for a yearlong internship. Others will be going to college. Still more will be leaving soon in service to our country. Some have had to say last good-byes to people they have held dear and others never had a chance to say good-bye and yet will see their loved one no more.

Sometimes it's just moving on and moving forward, sometimes it's leaving people behind. Sometimes it's both. It can be exciting and it can be scary. It can be peaceful and it can be overwhelming. Change. No matter how hard or tight you try to hold on to something, it will change. You will change, they will change, circumstances will change or all of the above.

We only have what is right now. We need to embrace it and love the moment but be willing and able to let go when the time comes. It's part of this thing we call the circle of life. As a parent it's hard to let your child go into uncharted territory and yet we find in doing so that we look at our own parents through a slightly different lens than when we made that trek in our own lives. There's an old saying - "let go and let God." Ah, much easier said than done.

But when it comes down to it, it's all a matter of either we trust Him - or we don't. It's as simple and as complicated as that. Change is going to come. If it hasn't hit you today, it will soon. Good change, bad change, it doesn't matter what shape or form the change takes... what matters is trusting the One who is the author and finisher of our faith and our life changes. I'm an emotional person. I am not a big fan of change... I've seen a lot of it in my life, but the one thing that does not change for me is my trust in Him. Tho the winds of change blow around me, still I will praise Him and trust Him.

Are the winds of change blowing around you? Grab the anchor that will get you through any storm that these winds of change might kick up at you. It's ok to visit the emotions, the pain - the excitement, the sorrow, the joy and everything in between - it's even healthy to do so, just don't stay there. Let Him bring you through. Be still and know, really know, that He is God and you will come through - stronger and hopefully wiser.

I wish them all well. My heart hurts a bit more because I will miss them, as I do so many others that have touched my life, but I trust that God will take care of them and there's always Facebook to keep them close. Blessings to my friends who are leaving and moving on to new and exciting possibilities and ((hugs)) to those you left behind. We're all in these winds of change together - in good times and in bad. Thank God.

"So, what do you want for dinner?" "I dunno..." uh oh, here we go again... I guess SOME things never change... lol. Have a good one. Love ya!