Over the last few weeks I’ve had some time to reflect over the year. Its incredible how much everything has changed. Within the span of 365 days I’ve experienced moments of joy and celebration as well as grief and disappointment. Some transitions have been emotionally disruptive while others have been methodical and tedious. Some have occurred overnight while others are still reaching full maturity. Change is inevitable. We change. The people around us change. Our circumstances change. Since change is such an unavoidable and ongoing occurrence, I think it is a subject worth digging into. Its plain that the question is not if things will change or how things will change or even why things will change, but simply, “What does it mean to be obedient in the face of change?”
I think we often respond to change based on our perception of what is good for ourselves. For instance, if a man perceives that being married is better than not being married, he will regard marriage as a positive transition. However, if a man perceives that marriage is the root of domestic enslavement, then a transition to marriage would be thought dreadful. It gets more complex than that, of course. For instance, a younger brother has enjoyed the company of his older brother for nearly twenty years. When the elder brother announces his decision to marry, it is natural for the younger brother to wish otherwise. Once his older brother is married, the younger brother will probably not get to spend as much time with him. Because the younger brother perceives the outcome will be worse than what he possesses in regard to himself, he deems his brother’s marriage a negative change.
Judging the outcome of an event in relation to ourselves isn’t (I think) entirely faulty, but it certainly is incomplete. To engage change in only this manner leads us into either of two pitfalls: rashness and stubbornness.
Rashness ruined us all the moment Eve tasted the forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Knowledge itself is not an evil since all knowledge belongs to God who is good Himself. The fruit itself did not appear to be evil either. It was pleasing to the eyes and looked good to eat. I think it was Eve’s decision to get for herself what God intended to give in due time that made the fruit evil to us. She sought to illuminate her ignorance on her own terms (at the cost of obedience) that she might be transformed into one like God himself. I think it is arguable that if she had resisted the serpent’s temptation, she would have received knowledge of good and evil out of obedience.
In Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet he reminds us of Impatience’s sting. Romeo, overwhelmed by his consuming love for Juliet secretly marries her and refuses to heed the counsel and assistance of Friar Lawrence in the midst of disaster. He seeks to grasp Juliet and freedom in Verona on his own accord rather than waiting for time’s blessing. Both Eve and Romeo sought something good, but by attempting to grasp it prematurely and trusting in their own foresight they spoiled what was intended for good and brought destruction on themselves.
On the other hand, when we perceive the outcome of a change to be unpleasant or seemingly negative in relation to ourselves we are tempted to dig our heels into the ground with stubbornness. We become unwilling to let the present pleasures pass because we don’t want to receive that which is coming. This defect is best characterized by J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan. Unlike the fun-loving and friendly Disney Peter Pan, Peter in the novel is incorrigibly childish. Not only is he ill-mannered and rude, but he is unable to truly love and receive love. He refuses to grow up and thereby robs himself of coming to know the fullness of love. In the end he is left behind by his companions who choose to take the risk at growing old. Again, we see a similar self-focused pattern in Peter as he considers change only in relation to himself and his own (quite limited) knowledge.
When we think about change with regard to ourselves and our own insight, we forget the One who ordains and gives it. God, holding all of time in his hands, possesses all good and all wisdom and all foresight. Simply, we should let Him be in charge of change. Change is an opportunity for obedience and trust. For when we wait to receive gifts in their appointed season, we practice the endurance of patience. Likewise, when we willingly submit ourselves to persevere in a change that seems more difficult and feels unpleasant, we actively demonstrate trust in God. I’m learning to live life with open hands and time will continue turning me and tuning me with each change of season.
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