Never Changes

This past weekend, while traveling to a wedding, we stopped at Southfork Ranch. You may know that this ranch was made famous by the Ewing Family in the television series Dallas. I wasn’t a big fan of the TV show, but I was a fan of the young man living next door. You see, my husband, Ben, grew up in the smaller house next to Southfork Ranch. We went to get a look at his old house.

Things have changed a lot since the days that Ben lived next door. The driveway is now made from concrete instead of gravel. The entrance is gated instead of a chain. The fifty Live Oak trees that Ben planted down the driveway are no longer saplings. Gone are the Southfork Ranch gawkers who would turn around in his driveway. 

Some people are quite nostalgic for a visit down memory lane. Some aren’t so much, like Ben.

For many of us, though, accepting change is hard.

There is so much change going on around us. Maybe you, like me, appreciate what’s normal and predictable. I’ve had quite a big change in my life and can't say I liked it at all. 

Things are constantly changing all around us. COVID brought change to all of us. Businesses change; some even close. Family changes. Technology is constantly changing. Friendships change. Circumstances change. The prices we pay for goods and services. People’s emotions and feelings change. Seasons change. Fashion changes. Highways change. Careers change. Finances change. Trends change. Our bodies change. We can’t look at change as being negative. Change is just a reality of the world we live in.

When things are changing all around us, we can always, always, always trust in Jesus, who never changes. Hebrews 13:8 says “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” What does this verse mean? First, God doesn’t change over the ages, and neither does Jesus, who is God. He was in the past the exact same as He is in the present and will always be. “The Greek word for the “same” emphatically states that Jesus is unchangeable! What good news this is in a world where things are changing at lightning speed! Jesus Christ is the one Person who can depend on to be the same, regardless of the time or the spirit of the age.” (Renner.org, July 9)

I sense that the more we grow in our relationship with Jesus, the more we can see and accept change in our lives. Knowing Jesus means that there will come a day where because of his life, death, and resurrection, everything will make sense and be the way it’s supposed to be. 

Yes, change IS hard, but when we know Jesus, we can count on the fact that He will NEVER change. We can trust Him without any reservations. That gives me perspective.

Take a listen: Only Jesus, By Casting Crowns: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eQd3K2Fxp4

Nancy Abbott is the Chaplain of the YMCA of Greater San Antonio.