There’s an old country song, I can’t even remember who sings it any more…I can just picture his long, blonde hair sticking out of the black cowboy hat but I remember part of the chorus that says “the only thing that stays the same is everything changes”.
If someone were to ask me what my least favorite part of being a missionary is, I could easily answer “constant change”.
I think I notice it more because I’m gone from home (both homes, CA and Swaziland) for a long period of time and when I return everything and everyone have changed and the change always seems more dramatic when you aren’t watching the change on a daily basis.
Even though I’m here to watch the dailyness of changes in Swaziland, things are constantly changing here.
One week I see an acquaintance at church and the following week the Pastor makes an announcement of her death; one day a family is serving in Swaziland and the next day cancer moves them back to the States.
Obviously death and illness are not from God but when the changes are directly from the Lord it doesn’t make it any easier.
A good friend here has also just been called back to the States in order to follow the will of God for her life.
Even in our small Bible study of American missionary women, half of the group has changed in the short time I’ve been in Swaziland.
Every time someone goes home on furlough for months at a time or those with a short commitment go home, I always think, “This is not normal”.
However it is the new normal of my life now.
There are also major changes going on in my church here resulting in a change in relationships with my Swazi brothers and sisters in Christ.
Smaller change still is the change at the grocery store – I bought mozzarella cheese for months and then it was gone, so I went back the next week and it wasn’t there, but there was no hole for it, it had been filled it with cheddar from the overflow.
“The steps of the believer are steeped in constant change.
Fingers are painfully peeled away from the security of sameness one at a time.
Again and again.
Great wisdom lies in freeing our fellow sojourners…cherished though they are.
With hands freshly loosed we find liberty to embrace the One who will never change, and courage to release to Him those who ever will.” – Beth Moore
Oh, how I love the “security of sameness” but more than that I’m growing deeper in love with the God who never changes and His Word that always remains the same.
Change is hard, especially when you have to release to change the ones you love the most.
