Change is unavoidable

Vern Heidebrecht

Change is an unavoidable dynamic of life. It is change that lifts us out of daily dullness and the comfortable complacency of life. We can hardly imagine a year without seasons, a restaurant without a menu, a future without a dream or a work without new challenges. Change, at times, is extraordinarily difficult but absolutely necessary for living.

There are occasions when we sense a desperate need for change. I recall a day when the demands of my job were doing a number on me--everywhere I glanced, I saw unfinished work. There was unanswered mail on the desk, voice mail on the phone and unread articles strewn on the table. Everything inside of me cried out for change: Leave the pile and find a retreat.

This impulse turned into a decision, and in short order I found myself heading for the parking lot. I loosened my tie, started the car and instinctively headed for the mountains. The late August day welcomed me into its grandeur as I took a 30-minute excursion in search of a change.

I followed a narrow road which paralleled a mountain stream. In a wide spot next to the road, I pulled the car aside to enjoy a time of solitude simply watching the sparkling stream. A short time later, I kicked off my shoes, rolled up my pantlegs and walked into the wide, shallow stream. A convenient boulder became my theatre seat, and from this perch I enjoyed a time of reflection. It was as if waves of tension were released from my body as the cool water pushed past my feet and I drank in the tranquility of the place.

As I celebrated this renewal, I suddenly found myself asking God to speak to me. He seemed so near. Everywhere I could see the evidence of His power to create wonderful things. I recalled the words of a familiar phrase from the Bible: "He leads me beside still waters, He restores my soul" (Psalm 23:2-3). I waited expectantly. My ears were awakened as I caught the streams of water crashing against the rocks in the river. The music had begun; I was delighted. The song was mesmerizing.

Slowly a truth awoke in my thinking. It was the rocks, those immovable objects in the stream, that were cause for the music. The stream without the rocks would have lacked the music. It occurred to me that in the same way, the unchangeable God has packaged meaning and pleasure into my life. He is the unmovable rock who brings lasting change and joy.

I had reached for change out of the drudgery of the daily routine, but had discovered deeper meaning. All of us feel a need for real change in our lives. We aren't really hungry for more religion, but we are attracted to a relationship with a living God. We really aren't very interested in a longer list of do's and don't's, but we find ourselves drawn to a God who is able to deal with our failures and our heart hopes.

He is the God of the unchangeable in a changing world. The promise Jesus made years ago is the most inviting invitation ever made: "I have come to give you life, and give it to you in all its abundance" (John 10:10, the Bible). All of this was made possible through Jesus Christ dying on the cross for our sins and offering us forgiveness and real change. When we place our faith in Jesus, the Bible tells us that we have a change called "spiritual rebirth". We are born into God's family and enjoy the security and love which is offered in His family, the church.

I will never forget the day I left the office to find a change. It was an inspiration which has impacted me quite often. What made it so grand is that God showed up. In the same way, God will show up when you invite Jesus to enter your life; He will change your life today, with consequences for eternity.

Vern Heidebrecht lives in Abbotsford, B.C., where he is senior pastor of Northview Community Church.

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