Roundup Record Tribune & Winnett Times -

CHANGES

The world, and most importantly for us, our society is changing radically. Small changes we don’t seem to mind too much, but the changes now are coming at a fast pace and are scaring many. Because we live in a fallen world (well, you knew it wasn’t perfect didn’t you), changes are bound to happen. If it were a perfect world, no changes could occur or would be necessary. Some of the changes are good, some of them are not. How we deal with them makes all the difference in our lives.

David had many changes in his life. Most of them not of his making, wanting, liking or desire. Yet he adapted because he knew the One Who never changes. There is only one constant in anyone’s life and that is our Father God. He never changes. And His Son, Jesus, is exactly like Him. He never changes, either. The same – yesterday, today, forever. And we can rely on Him to be exactly the same as He was yesterday. He will love you today as much as He did yesterday and will protect you the same. You don’t have to earn it, deserve it, or even beg for it. He gives to you freely.

I was walking in the pastures and looking at the wild flowers growing in such profusion. God isn’t stingy, He provides an abundance of beauty for us to look at. Then I noticed it. Death Camus growing on the hill side. What a beautiful flower, a yellow cone blooming in my pasture. How did I react? I pulled it up and got rid of it. As I did that I thought of other lovely blooms that were toxic both to humans and animals. Toad flax, leafy spurge and many others. The blooms are lovely, but their usage leads to death. If we just look and don’t act, many things in life are just like that. We don’t bother to ask questions and find out what it is and so we just let those toxic weeds grow and eventually kill us or someone around us.

We can let the toxic things grow in our lives or we can uproot them and throw them in the garbage. It is a life-long process. Just when we get rid of one toxic thing, say “anger”, another grows up in it’s place and we have to be continually rooting out the bad weeds and letting the good flowers grow and flourish inside of us.

That is what David did in Psalm 4. He had been through some rough times, but instead of letting the toxic seeds of revenge, anger, fear, and rebellion grow, he turned to the One Who never changes and let God and His Word take control of his life. This is how he ends the Psalm: “You (God) have put more joy and rejoicing in my heart than they (his enemies) know when their wheat and new wine have yielded abundantly. In peace, I will both lie down and sleep, for You, Lord, make me dwell in safety and confident trust”.

My prayer for all of you is that you can say the same thing to God, knowing that He alone can make you dwell in safety, confident trust and peace.

Rev. Joyce Kaplan, M.Div., Retired United Church of Christ pastor.