"therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. each day has enough trouble of its own." matthew 6:34
“forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. see, i am doing a new thing! now it springs up; do you not perceive it? i am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland." isaiah 43:18-19
"have i not commanded you? be strong and courageous. do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” joshua 1:9
change.
its one of those things that you can anticipate and be excited for, and then dread at the same time.
i've actually been thinking a lot about change in the last couple days. last year, i had a huge change in my life. i moved to college. i know, big one right? towards the end of the first year, God brought some of the best friends i could ask for into my life. aubrey (who's scandinavian dancing talent would shock you into the next century), emily (who's laugh can turn a grey day into crystal clear sun), luke (who, after one conversation, can figure out like all of your problems), and andrew (who's love of stuffed penguins can always put a smile on my face). spring quarter 2011, we became a family. but the hard part about freshman year ending, was that we would have to deal with...you guessed it...change. all of us were at different points in our lives. and within the past week, i've realized that this coming year will be different. and to be honest, i'm not sure i'm too okay with it. while i'm very excited for the upcoming year and to see all that God has in store (especially after what just happened with the living situation), i'm sorta nervous and a little scared to see what change is going to happen. emily and i will be roommates, but we are moving to a completely different hall. aubrey (being a year older than all of us) is moving off-campus to a house. luke and andrew are moving to third hill, with luke becoming an smc. we all are being called in different directions for the coming year. which means, change.
but here's the thing about change. it's a good thing, while sometimes it can be painful. the Bible says that there is a time for everything. which means, in a taylor-ish translation, that there is a time for freshman year of college, and there is a time for sophomore year of college. and God can use both in mighty ways. i think that one of the biggest issues with americans today is that we never enjoy the present. we never fully enjoy where we are. we either cannot wait for something coming up in the future, or we are always dwelling on what has happened it the past. i'm guilty of this as well. i almost never fully and completely invest myself into where i am at a given moment in time. which is sad. because in a split second, that moment can be gone. is it ever possible to just fully enjoy one moment, and then fully enjoy the next moment? matthew 6:34 says "therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. each day has enough trouble of its own". there is no point in worrying about tomorrow, or also in being excited for tomorrow (to some extent). if we are able to learn from where we've come from, completely invest in today, and trust God for tomorrow, i almost feel like this issue of change might be easier.
last night, we had a house guest over for dinner. he was actually an old college friend of my dads and he happened to be in town, so he came over and ate with us. it was so cool to see this guy that my dad roomed with in college, and now however many years down the road they still got together every once in a while. i was actually thinking about it last night, and i think i have probably seen this guy at least every two years since i was born, if not more often. so they stay connected. i was once told that the best friends are the ones that you are super close with, and you can be apart for a long while, and then when you see each other you can just pick up where you left off. and i know that aubrey, emily, luke, and andrew are these types of friends. and maybe its just one of those things where i know that change needs to happen, and that change will be good. but no matter what, we will still always have each other.
i'm not really sure if this has made like any sense. but i guess my point is not to fear change. change happens. it will happen. it has happened. it is happening. for those of you joining me this year at spu, or if you are on a new adventure of your own, i would like to remind you that this year will be different. it will not be the same as last year. you are in a different environment, you will make different friends, you are at a different season in life. but, even as i say that, i encourage you to embrace this new experience. embrace the change. fully invest in each and every moment. which means don't text while you're with a group of people, don't be stressing out about homework when you're choosing to socialize, do be purposeful about asking questions like "how was your day, how are you really doing, etc". be completely and totally present in every moment. because in the blink of an eye, it will be gone. wait to see what the Lord will do if you are fully present in each and every moment. and while it is important to cherish our past, and our past relationships, be purposeful about continuing to invest in those relationships while making new relationships. God uses change in our life. if there weren't change, there wouldn't be any improvement or differences and our lives would always be the same. so i emplore you: have fun. enjoy this year. don't fear the change, embrace it. and wait to see what God will do.
No comments:
Post a Comment