So many things change over time. Some we choose to change. Sometimes we change jobs. People move to different towns for one reason or another. There are a lot of things that change because of decisions we make. But a lot of things change that are out of our control and happen due to time. As I get older, I am starting to realize that a lot of things change that I always thought were so far away. My eyesight and hearing are fading. My weight doesn’t stay where it used to as effortlessly as it once did. I can’t drop 10 pounds a week anymore. I hurt when I get out of bed more often now. I drink coffee all hours of the day now. I dress for comfort. There are a lot of things that are different than when I was 25. This is all part of life. I don’t consider myself old, but aging. While watching high school sports I catch myself thinking…I remember when that kid was born! That is a hit to the ego right there. That makes me feel old. But with that age hopefully comes wisdom. I hope as I get older I learn from past experiences. I hope I can improve daily as I get more experienced at life. With that age comes other changes too.
As my kids get older, they change. They are developing new interests. They are beginning to move on from the things they used to be interested in. The toys that were once thought of by them to be the best thing that ever came along are not relevant to them anymore. They are figuring things out along the way. They are interested in things that teenagers are interested in (which scares me a little). They are figuring out what’s real and what’s not in life. With our kids changing, that is causing changes for Kristin and myself. The places we go, the things we do with them, and the things we buy them are all changing with their maturity. They want things that adults have. They want phones. That won’t happen for awhile still, but that doesn’t stop them from asking daily. Especially our 12 year old. This is one way we can keep him from growing up too quickly. He’s got the rest of his life to be a grownup. He doesn’t need a phone. He needs to be a kid. He needs to go play outside. He needs to do those things that kids do while he still can. His brother and sister appreciate that too, because that means that he is still paying at least a little bit of attention to them. These are just a few ways that our kids are changing over time. It’s bittersweet. Some days I feel (jokingly, most of the time of course) like I’m ready for them to be grown and more independent. But I know those feelings are just in the moment, because I am definitely not ready for them to grow up. That is just a thought that pops into my head every once in awhile for reasons that any parent can relate to from time to time. I know it goes fast and when they are grown I will wish they were kids again.
As I write this I am watching the coverage of the death of Kobe Bryant and his 13 year old daughter. Talk about change that happens quick. This puts a lot of things in perspective. This was obviously not planned to be in this post, but I can’t help but think about how it goes along with this topic. He is one of the best basketball players to ever play the game. This will change the basketball world forever. He just retired a few years ago and during his career he had a huge impact on the game. He was an incredible talent that also did a lot for the game of basketball. I don’t know him as a person so I can’t speak of him from a personal standpoint. But from listening to the ones that did, he was very well thought of. Just like any other athlete, he had people that liked him and people that didn’t. But he was a fierce competitor that was very respected in the basketball world. He inspired so many young players to play the game of basketball. The basketball world is a family just like any other sport. He had such a big impact on that family. But, just like anything else, things change with time. This will forever change his personal family’s life as well. It will change his wife and his other 3 daughter’s lives forever. It will change his friends’ lives forever. That is change that no one ever wants to have to go through.
This world changes daily. Technology has changed the way we do things. It is such a huge part of our everyday life. We think of technology the way we know it now, but it has been changing things for a long time. It goes back to electricity, to central heat and air, to advances to vehicles, the way we receive television though satellite. Think about the evolution of cell phones. From the original bag phones to the latest iPhone, they have made big advances. I remember when we got our first bag phone. It was so cool that we had a phone that we could carry around and use away from our house. Even though carrying that bag was like carrying a small suitcase, it was still really cool. If you had one of those, you felt like you were uptown. Now it is comical to think about. But that is how things change over time.
We could spend all day talking about changes and how those happen over time. The amount of things to talk about on this subject is endless. But, there is one thing that doesn’t change. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever”. (Hebrews 13:8). That is the one constant that will never change. God’s love for us will never change. While our relationship with him should be ever evolving, his grace and his mercy and his love for us is constant. We live in an ever changing world. That is apparent with the changes we discussed above as well as all the other things we could include in this conversation. But, no matter what we go through, no matter what we are faced with, God is there. No matter how far we fall away, God is there. No matter how much we feel like we are not worthy, God is there. He doesn’t hold grudges. He doesn’t remember our mess ups. How awesome is that? How comforting is it to know that we may change over time, friendships may change over time, we may lose loved ones over time, our kids may change over time, but one thing that will never change is God.
I challenge all of us to work hard to develop a deep relationship with God. Building a relationship with a never changing God will make this ever changing world easier to navigate through. We need to be so thankful that we serve a God like that. What if we looked at everyone else in this world as God does? What if we loved other people and forgave other people as God does? Would this world change? As things change with us and our lives we can always go to that one constant in our lives in prayer. We can always rely on Him. We can always have someone to lean on. There is no better feeling than to know that no matter what we go through in life and what challenges and changes in life we face, God will be the same tomorrow and forever as he has always been in the past!!!