CHANGE... Karissa Sauder
“Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine.” -Robert C. Gallagher
I remember very clearly the first time I encountered this phrase. I had just learned to read, and did not even know the meaning of “inevitable.” After some explanation from my parents, I still missed the humor of the joke, though I understood the underlying point: like it or not, you can’t avoid change. As a kindergartener with control issues, this was slightly distressing. The reality of change only bothered me more as I grew older and began to grasp its significance. If things were great the way they were, why did they need to change?
My issues with change became fully evident as I struggled to adjust to college and its constant lessons about letting go. Not until my recent cross-cultural experience in the Middle East did I learn to accept the fact that my life will not stop changing and there is nothing I can do about it. Actually, I began to see beauty in the shifting of life’s events, recognizing that God is at work in change, prodding us to release control and to allow Him to do new things in our lives.
Though many of you enjoy and desire change, I suspect I am not alone in my tenuous relationship with it. For me, it is helpful to remember that in the Bible, God makes His presence known in the midst of change and uncertainty. His work is clearest when His people allow themselves to be uprooted and shown a new way of thinking and living. I think particularly of the Israelites, who are transformed into something entirely new when they step out in faith, trusting that God will lead them through a difficult time of transition. It is when they settle into a “normal” way of life, seeking a human king and ceasing to accept God’s change, that they fall hard.
I also remember the apostles and the early Christian movement. They were at the beginning of something utterly revolutionary that would spread across—and yes, change—the world. Our western way of thinking cannot grasp how dramatic this shift truly was, especially now that Christianity is so prevalent. In the early Jesus movement, God worked swiftly and powerfully, transforming those who encountered it. That change was deep, requiring much more than superficial lifestyle adjustments. It was, and still is for many, an entirely new direction of life.
Now I think of Sunnyside Mennonite Church and the ways God is calling us toward change. We just said goodbye to our steady leadership for the past 18 years. In that time, we certainly experienced quite a lot of change, from welcoming dozens of new members to exploring different expressions of worship, some previously unfamiliar. We responded to God’s leading and allowed him to change us, sometimes in ways that may have made us uncomfortable.
As we face many more upcoming changes, I think one of God’s desires for us is to avoid shrinking back in fear, wanting to hold on
to the comforts of the past. This is a challenge in my life, and it is a challenge for us as a body. Rather, let’s use the wisdom we gained from past experiences to discern the direction of our future together. While change is not always good, it is often necessary, and we can be encouraged by the knowledge that God works in the midst of it, shaping us into a stronger, more adaptable, Christ-centered body. If we trust that God is leading us through these changes, we have no reason for concern. After all, change is inevitable…and beautiful.