Change

Change:  Yeah and Ugh!

I am so glad that there are aspects of life that don’t change.  Things like a 24-hour day or “seedtime and harvest”, like blue Robin eggs or cackling chickens.  Things like the beautiful sky of blue or puffy fluffy clouds or a great yellow ball passing overhead. And things like the array of greens found in plants or colors in flowers or produce from a garden.  Daily and yearly we find that things do not change!  Because God said so!

Yet, things do change!  Important and cherished things and moments change.  These days I find myself thinking about my Mom who was born in Aurora, Nebraska on August 21, 1926.  She was such a blessing, a force, an inspiration, a gentle spirit, a prayer warrior, an example, a Bible student and a GREAT person!  But such WAS!  She moved through life in a large, very large way and left a very large wake behind her – I know – I’m in that wake.

On Monday, Janet and I had lunch in Norfolk, NE where I noted an elderly woman so I invaded her space for a chat.  I asked her if she knew Glenn Shaneyfelt and she did!  In fact, she and her husband were part of a group that did things together for years and that group included Glenn and Lola. Asking about a couple who have departed this life a few years back meant this woman had to ask me why I asked and I talked about my Mom!  Mom passed eight years ago but is still a key part of my life today.

Things do change – some for the better and some not.

For the better – cars!   I remember no power windows, no AC, hard biased tires, gas-guzzling engines and steel dashboards to stop your forehead in a wreck.  Things have changed for the better!

BUT!  More often than not, things change for the worse.  Take politics, Washington D.C., the press and education.  Education!  Report after report shows the U.S. falling behind the world in academics.

This from worldpopulationreview.com – Ironically, despite the United States having the best-surveyed education system on the globe, U.S students consistently score lower in math and science than students from many other countries. According to a Business Insider report in 2018, the U.S. ranked 38th in math scores and 24th in science.

Or this from theatlantic.com – This year, the U.S. scores below average in math and ranks 17th among the 34 OECD countries. It scores close to the OECD average in science and reading and ranks 21st in science and 17th in reading.

Too often we are swooned by trappings such as fancy buildings, electronics or successful sports while the education basics wither.

Our country is changing from life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness to self, greed and rights.  We are a collection of demanding brats angry because we don’t get what the neighbor has.  We Americans are changing from “we the people” to me-ism, from all men being equal to groups to hate, and from love and tolerance of others to destroying those who disagree with your position.

The church is changing from being God-focused to man-focused, from an eternal perspective to rights and things today and from all men being broken and only fixed by Jesus to man not broken and Jesus not necessary.

Change happens and in a profound way, we are living in a time of GREAT change.  However, let’s not forget that our God does not change thus eyes of hope and direction fixed on Him!

Malachi 3:6 “For I am the Lord, I do not change”