Change is hard

In Ecclesiastes 3:1, God tells us, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” He then proceeds to tell us that there is a time for us to live and die, to tear down and build, to mourn and dance, for war and for peace. Jesus plans these out for us, these ups and downs, but we have to know that through everything, He is right next to us, even when we’re experiencing our lowest low.

Change is hard, it really is. We face change all the time, big and small. We often get distracted during these changes. We stress, and we let these changes take control of our emotions. Often times, we forget about God. We let ourselves determine what’s good and bad, and forget that the best thing we can do through change is remember that God is putting us through these transitions to see us thrive.

A few years ago, I experienced change in a large way. During eighth grade, in a matter of two weeks, my dad lost his job, got a new one, and I had to drop out of my old school on a Friday to move to my new school and attend class on a Monday. During this transition, I became very depressed, began neglecting myself, and did not let anyone close to me. I pushed the whole idea of God away and thought to myself, “All God wants to do is see me suffer.”

As I seemed to reach the lowest point, something changed in me. My mom happened to mention a Bible verse that stuck with me and it gave me the strength to continue on.

2 Corinthians 12:10, “That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

I began to look at that verse anytime I was feeling down, hurt, and broken. Sure enough, as time went on, I began to see how He was there, and that the change He had me go through, shaped me to who I am today! As I began to pray and thank Jesus for this change, I began to look back and could see Him through every moment. I began to gain happiness as I saw God work through the many changes through my life.

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God puts us through countless changes, good and bad, it is a part of being a Christian! The truth is that these changes are amazing even when it doesn’t seem like it at the time. Jesus calls on us to rise to the challenge, to face these changes and to remember that He has a plan for us through every hard time, even when it seems that it comes to the worst. We face so many things in life, but as Christians we have to believe that God is putting these obstacles in our path for a reason. Jesus uses these times to strengthen and teach us to grow in our faith and relationship with Him.

-CC