Celebrating Change

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Purposeful Pathway is a haven for faith-based entrepreneurs. It is a journey in which faith and business gracefully intertwine. It is a pathway paved with purpose, peace and passion. The posts provide insights for faith-based business and also inspiration for the spiritual journey. My hope is that, in reading, your businesses will grow and your lives will be enriched. My prayer is that these messages will allow God’s peace, love and joy to pave your purposeful pathways.

The theme of this post is celebrating change.

An incredibly powerful tool for a purposeful business and purposeful life is the ability to celebrate and embrace change.

"The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold." (Psalm 18:2)

Our Lord, Our God, is constant, eternal, unchanging. He is the Alpha and Omega: omniscient, omnipotent and everlasting. "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." (James 1:17)  The essence of this created world, however - with every creature, every flower, every leaf, every bird, every rock - is change. We see clearly that "there is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven." (Ecclesiastes 3:1)  Life flows in a constant flux, so resistance to the flow of change inevitably causes conflict. Yielding to and flowing with change, however, leads to peace, hope and eager expectation for the future.

When we do not find our joy and peace in the unchanging God, it is easy for us to seek fulfillment through attachment: attachment to things, to people, to relationships, to circumstances. When changes threaten these temporal attachments, we begin to fear; we grow anxious, discouraged and sometimes angry. Yet God created the world in a state of change - with day and night, with summer and winter, with life and death. "My days are like the evening shadow; I wither away like grass." (Psalm 102:11) The constant movement of daylight and of seasons reflects this natural law and encourages us to embrace the flow of change. God - yes, only God - is the Source of true stability and solidity.

When we allow God to fill us, when we invite God to bring us hope, when we embrace His love, we need no attachments. We can proclaim confidently that "He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken." (Psalm 62:6)   In doing so, we embrace the changes God allows. We look forward with great anticipation the good things which will come. For we know that "He is the rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he." (Deuteronomy 32:4)

Is there any area in your life in which you are not embracing change? Are you clinging to any attachments? As you travel upon your purposeful pathway, I encourage you to embrace the love of God and celebrate the flow of change. Discover firsthand the liberating paradox: by clinging firmly to the Eternal God and standing firmly on the Rock of Truth, you will flow freely and peacefully with the beautiful currents of time and change.

"As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him." (2 Samuel 22:31)

How can you more firmly stand on the Rock to more freely embrace change?

 

Celebrate being firmly rooted in Christ with poetry:

Rooted in Jesus 

“Blessed is the one

    who does not walk in step with the wicked

or stand in the way that sinners take

    or sit in the company of mockers,

but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,

    and who meditates on his law day and night.

That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,

    which yields its fruit in season

and whose leaf does not wither—

    whatever they do prospers.” ~ Psalm 1:1-3

Behold the trees,

How they grow in majesty;

Come now, My child,

Come listen to Me:

Be like these trees

Firmly rooted in the ground

That no matter what comes

You are safe and sound.

Be rooted in Me,

Abide here in the True Vine,

Remember I am yours,

And you are Mine.

For when you are rooted,

The winds may blow,

Yet strongly you will stand,

Tall you will grow.

When you remain in Me,

And I in you,

You weather the storms

With love pure and true.

When My living water

Nourishes your every root,

Precious and eternal

Is your spiritual fruit.

So come now, My child,

Learn from the trees,

Trust always in Me

That My heart you please.

For then strong you will be,

Taller than trees that tower,

Rich in My grace,

Radiant in My power.

Bear fragrant fruit of joy,

Colorful blossoms of love,

Stretch to the sky,

To the heavens above.

With your head in the clouds,

Your feet on the ground,

Behold My miracles

Abounding all around.

Yea, as you behold the trees,

Remember My majesty;

Come and blossom, My child,

Be rooted in Me.

© 2013 Caroline Gavin