"Change is Good"

Today when I was driving, I noticed a sign that said, “Change is good.” There was no advertising sponsor named, no any attempt at solicitation.   Maybe, it was God. The phrase that change is good struck a chord in me.  If it’s good, why is it so hard to change, or to think change could be good?   Is it because I have become cynical and can’t believe change is good, or that things will actually change.   As I was pondering, I noticed that the old Sam’s Club was being demolished.   Cement walls were toppling down exposing some of the foundational structure.  Men were removing the fence around the property.   WOW! Change right before my eyes.   I quickly made a connection between the sign and the demolition of Sam’s Club.

Change is always happening, whether good or bad.  Change occurs every day--sometimes gradually or swiftly.  Technology allows us to experience the effects of change almost instantly. At the same time, there are some things in my life that I feel never change.  I have never lost my appetite for sweets/dark chocolate, and I keep worrying about things I can’t control.   Yet, there are things in my life that have changed.   My weight has changed many times; my body creaks in more places than before; my stress level has been lowered through breathing techniques, and fears that I believed to be huge didn’t happen.

 The most exciting change in my life is my relationship with God.  As I have aged, my heart and understanding of God have become more expansive.  I’ve grown to trust God’s journey for me and God’s voice speaking to me.   The change that has brought me joy is living into the mystery of God’s love for me even when “I don’t get it,” but especially when “I do get.”  It’s a paradoxical change.   As we enter into Advent, I think of the mystery of change that occurred through the Incarnation of God in Jesus Christ.  We get it and we don’t.   It represents such a remarkably wonderful change in how we think about God.  Happy Advent!