“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” James 1:17
A few weeks ago my youngest daughter’s life changed forever and my family experienced something very exciting! On September 4, at 12:52 p.m., she was warm, safe and comfortable in the womb, completely content with the only way of life she had ever known. At 12:53 p.m., she was cold, uncomfortable and feeling very unsafe. It was bright and loud and all of her senses were peaked. Every single thing she was experiencing was brand new. She didn’t welcome this change; in fact, she was so upset about it that all of the nurses and doctors were commenting on how loud her screaming was!
While I was watching her experience all of this change, I was reminded of how much Jesus changes the lives of those who are born again. In 2 Corinthians, Chapter 5, Paul tells us “…if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” That means God changes our lives forever. That means that some of the things we experience or feel are going to be brand new to us, and not always welcome. Change isn’t a bad thing, however. Just as my daughter needed to be born so she could grow and know what it means to truly live life, God gives us change to grow us and teach us what it means to truly live a life for Him.
There is a lot of newness in the Johnson home right now: new baby, new job, new church plant, our oldest is starting kindergarten, and our four kids are changing daily!
We are praising God for the good and perfect gift He has given us in our baby girl. We’re watching Him work in our lives and are trusting Him in these changes, because we hold fast to the promise that He knows the plans that He has for us. They’re plans for welfare and not for evil, to give us a future and a hope. We know He loves us and is using all of this newness to grow us closer to Him, closer to each other, and closer to His people.
Changing for Him,
Billy
Posted in A Word from the Pastor