5 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 6 So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?” 7 Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. -Hebrews 13:5-8
As I write this devotion, it comes on the heels of a big life change and milestone: Mia’s first day of kindergarten. I remember bringing her home from Fairview Southdale on the snow-covered roads of I-35W with Dawn in the backseat next to her. I can recall with clarity hearing her speak for the first time in the kitchen of our house, and the moment she took her first steps as we were having her go back and forth between us in the breezeway. I treasured the moment she saw a movie preview and said, “We got to see that!” One of my favorite moments on Sunday morning is when we do our “jobs” before the service of putting bulletins and hymnals on the altar, and bowing before and after we enter the altar area. I’m amazed how fast time has gone, and all the changes that have taken place in her five years of life. While I’m excited for her and proud of her on this day, I’m also sad for what such a day ultimately means: she is changing. It is bittersweet: she is getting bigger and older but she is also growing and becoming the woman God is forming and creating her to be.
We all change, but whether we want to admit it is a different matter. Our circumstances change, our health changes, our income, homes, relationships, hobbies, personalities, temperament, appetites, tastes, preferences, values, understanding, and beliefs change. Did I forget anything? We also see these same changes in loved ones and people close to us in our lives.
And these changes aren’t necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes, change can be good. It can be a good thing for us and our loved ones when new opportunities arise, personal growth occurs, or when something different dawns on the horizon. Sometimes, change can be bad. Disease, broken relationships, and aging can take their toll and have their negative effects. Often, though, change can be unsettling. It disrupts the status quo. It shakes what we depend and rely on. It reshapes our lives and relationships. Sometimes, change is just…different.
In the face of any change, the author of Hebrews gives us the simple reminder, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” People grow up. People get old. People move. People die. People leave. People mature. People become broken. People become consumed. People make bad decisions. In other words, people change.
In the midst of such change, One stays same: Jesus Christ our Lord. He is always loving, faithful, and forgiving. He is always loyal, reigning, good, and working all things for our good. No matter who changes, us or others in our lives, He stays the same.
What a joy and relief that is. Our Savior will still be the same loving, faithful, forgiving, loyal and reigning Lord we know Him to be. And it isn’t just yesterday. And it isn’t just for today. It is for tomorrow, too.
The words from one of my favorite hymns sums up our lives and hope well: “Change and decay in all around I see. O Thou Who changest not, abide with me.” Indeed, He will. The author of Hebrews says He will: “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” This, too, will never change.
-Pastor Nick Kooi
(Originally published in Emmaus Footprints, Vol. XXV, Number 2, September 2023.)