Pastor's Page - March Newsletter, Doniphan/Rosedale UMCs

Some things never change. The older I get; the more changes I have to live through; the more I am attracted to things that don’t change.

Change makes me adjust. Change makes me learn new things. Change makes me move. And sometimes I’m just too tired to move. So I groan at software updates. I roll my eyes at new reports that I’ve never had to fill out before. Getting a new cell phone makes my head hurt.

I’m only in my second spring here and I’m already grateful for the unchanging nature of the annual spring bird migration that we get to witness. Its something I can count on each February and March. At last, something that will not change. I can add it to my list of things I can count on not changing, like: sunrise and sunset, the rotation of the earth, seasons, and hay fever in August and September.

Of course, the reality is that change is the absolute only thing that I can truly count on. No matter what, there will always be change. And history has taught me that living a mature life is about the attempt to thoughtfully respond to the changes thrown at me instead of emotionally reacting (or over-reacting) in a way that’ll surely get me in trouble.

Then there’s that thing about my relationship with God, and all the ways God lets me know that I do not have to stay the same; that I can change if I want to. And God is willing to help me do just that. If fact, if I would like to become more God-like, there are thousands of folks throughout time who are willing to be witnesses to how totally worth it that change can be.

So as you look up in envy at those “V” formations of cranes, remember that they are stuck in a rut that may last millions of years. You, however, can change into the compassionate, caring, unselfish, non-judgmental human being that God created you to be. And you can begin that change right now. This Lent. Between now and Easter, that transformation can happen. Just ask God to help you get that change started, and you will be surprised at what happens next.

Grace & Peace,