Change

As many of you may well know, Fall is my favorite time of year. I love everything about it. The colors, the smells, the crisp air, boots, sweaters, warm drinks.  The list could go on and on.

I think one of the main things I love about this season is the undeniable change. Summers heat drags on and on (sorry to all you summer lovers) until one day, there is an unmistakable change in the air. I can taste it. I can smell it. I can feel it in the depths of my heart.

Leaves change from green (or brown here in Oklahoma) to beautiful shades of red, orange, and yellow. I can’t help but stop and stare. I long for the day each year I get to go on a walk and walk through a pile of fallen leaves.  I would give a limb for a pumpkin spice latte (ok maybe not, but I would give a lot).

I swoon over fall. I love the change.

Over the past few weeks, along with the change in the air, I’ve been thinking about the changes in my life.

Despite loving change in choice of latte flavors at Starbucks, when it comes to my life, I typically loathe change. Change usually involves decisions, which I loathe even more. I’ll save that for another day.

This week marked one year I have lived in Tulsa. 365 days. Looking back, I can’t believe how much my life has changed in the past year. A year ago I knew one person in Tulsa. I didn’t know how to get anywhere. And I was terrified I made the wrong decision to move.

I changed homes, roommates, cities, and jobs. Can you say change overload?

Not much about my life is the same as it was a year ago. Twelve months ago, I would have told you that was a bad thing. However, as it turns out, my heart has changed as well.

Along with the inevitable change, I made the choice to adapt. I learned more about myself than I thought was possible and saw sides of myself that were hard to face. I learned to grow, and more importantly how to trust in the Lord when it seemed I had nothing else. Funny how easy it is to trust in God when you have a constant physical support system around you, isn’t it?

I saw God answer so many prayers this past year, not in my timing or with the answers I was looking for, but with the perfect touch of His hand.

The last Sunday before I moved in my Sunday school class, I remember asking my class to pray I would make friends in Tulsa. This probably seemed like a silly prayer request to my friends in OKC, but this was something I was terrified of. I was leaving the best friends I had ever had and had been surrounded by for 5 years.

A few weeks ago, I was looking back in a prayer journal and saw I had written this down. When I read it, I couldn’t help but smile. The Lord is faithful. Over the past year, God has brought so many incredible people into my life. Amazing friends, accountability, and an amazing church family. I am surrounded by people I look up to, respect, trust, can laugh with, and learn from each and every day. He answered my little prayer in a bigger way than I could have imagined and in a way I by no measure deserve. Did this answer come the first day I moved? No.

However, as always, God's timing is impeccable and perfect. I learned to step out of my box, I learned to be patient, and I learned to rest in the Lord’s presence. Friends are only one of countless blessings and answers to prayers I have seen over the past year.

Despite the change that has occurred in my life over the past year, I have learned that some things never change.

·      I don’t deserve any of the blessings the Lord has provided me with. I never will. I am inadequate when I try to stand on my own two feet. By grace I live.  By grace I breathe. By grace I am saved.

·      God is always present. He is the ultimate comforter,

·      There is always room to grow, spiritually, mentally, physically, and emotionally.

·      Prayer is essential and fruitful. I believe with my whole heart that God wants to show us how big He is, but He wants us to ask.

·      God’s plan for my life is bigger than anything I can understand. We are all a part of a bigger story, and we are called to live moment by moment trusting that God has our best for His good in mind.

Last but not least, I learned that there will always be change. Good or bad, expected or unexpected, change happens every day. Without change there would be no growth. Without growth, we would never step out of our box. And without stepping out of our box, we might miss out on the opportunities God places in front of us every day to share his love with the world around us.

I welcome change. A good latte and an autumn walk warm my heart. More importantly, the joy that comes from reflecting on blessings from the Lord is immeasurable. Change is good. The vastness of love and compassion the Lord has for each of us on His journey is unfathomable.