Friday, January 6, 2012
This week at my Church, Granite United Church (in case you didn’t know), we are starting a new series about EPIC CHANGE. Funny because of the circumstances of the past few years, I feel like I am the poster child for EPIC CHANGE. There are those people out there, who when you don’t see them for a while then run into them, things are pretty much the same old, same old.
I was like that for a long time. After the big change, moving from New York to Boston things didn’t change much for a while, I lived in the same house for 12 years, stayed in the same business for essentially 20+ years, had the same friends, went to the same places, same old, same old. It was all very nice, very safe, very predictable.
Well apparently that is not at all what God had planned for my life and what was I thinking that it was going to stay that way. And oh by the way, looking back isn’t going to bring it all back and really do I want to?? As you know, we recently moved, let me add, this move did not in any way lessen my dislike and dare I say, hatred, of the whole moving process. It was an awful experience which included broken appliances, a flood, a fire, complete chaos and more! We’ll leave that on the back burner for now. What I did learn through it all though, was that even through the chaos, God was ALWAYS by my side and what seemed like heartache was actually a blessing.
While there is a point there, I digressed a bit, the move, yes that was a big change, caused by a financial downturn, caused by a job loss, caused by some poor choices, caused by …. Well you get the point. The most recent change we’ve made around here is switching Katherine from a Christian School to a Public School. Now she is going through a lot of changes, she’s been there 3 days and each day tells me how this school is very different from a Christian school. She’s learning at 5, life is full of changes.
One of the big changes for me is that I don’t get the opportunity to walk her in to the school. I was discussing this with Mike last night. In fact, she can take a bus if we choose to. I choose not to, I’m not quite ready for that. Mike was reminding me that when we went to Kindergarten, I was only four at the time, our parents put a tag on us, brought us to the corner, we got on the bus , they waved good bye and essentially hoped we got to our destination. Were we really prepared for that??? After a couple of weeks, they didn’t even walk us to the corner anymore and I had to endure Ricky Jones’ antics on my own and somehow make my way to school.
I actually distinctly remember the very first day of school as the bus pulled up to what seemed like the biggest building ever, all of these other buses were there, hundreds of kids who all seemed to know where they were going and me feeling very uncertain, slightly afraid. I remember walking up to an elderly gentleman who seemed like he knew what he was doing and asking him where I should go, I was wondering if I should have known already. He very gently took a look at my tag which had the name of my teacher on it and I think a line that said “I belong to Al and Pat Norton, if lost return to Hemlock Street, Islip, NY.” I was hoping he’d read that line and send me home. Alas, he didn’t, it was the Principal, Mr. Babcock, he kindly directed me to my classroom. Which, by the way, I ended up LOVING!!!!!! I also then noticed other children who seemed lost going up to him as well. He helped every child find their way.
So here’s the point, because it got me thinking, for most of us, this is what life is all about. Each step we take is a change, hopefully in the right direction but not always, more often than not we are seriously ill prepared!!! It would be great if we all just knew what we were supposed to do or if we wore a tag when we took a misstep and someone could redirect us but we do not wear this physical tag.
I was like that for a long time. After the big change, moving from New York to Boston things didn’t change much for a while, I lived in the same house for 12 years, stayed in the same business for essentially 20+ years, had the same friends, went to the same places, same old, same old. It was all very nice, very safe, very predictable.
Well apparently that is not at all what God had planned for my life and what was I thinking that it was going to stay that way. And oh by the way, looking back isn’t going to bring it all back and really do I want to?? As you know, we recently moved, let me add, this move did not in any way lessen my dislike and dare I say, hatred, of the whole moving process. It was an awful experience which included broken appliances, a flood, a fire, complete chaos and more! We’ll leave that on the back burner for now. What I did learn through it all though, was that even through the chaos, God was ALWAYS by my side and what seemed like heartache was actually a blessing.
While there is a point there, I digressed a bit, the move, yes that was a big change, caused by a financial downturn, caused by a job loss, caused by some poor choices, caused by …. Well you get the point. The most recent change we’ve made around here is switching Katherine from a Christian School to a Public School. Now she is going through a lot of changes, she’s been there 3 days and each day tells me how this school is very different from a Christian school. She’s learning at 5, life is full of changes.
One of the big changes for me is that I don’t get the opportunity to walk her in to the school. I was discussing this with Mike last night. In fact, she can take a bus if we choose to. I choose not to, I’m not quite ready for that. Mike was reminding me that when we went to Kindergarten, I was only four at the time, our parents put a tag on us, brought us to the corner, we got on the bus , they waved good bye and essentially hoped we got to our destination. Were we really prepared for that??? After a couple of weeks, they didn’t even walk us to the corner anymore and I had to endure Ricky Jones’ antics on my own and somehow make my way to school.
I actually distinctly remember the very first day of school as the bus pulled up to what seemed like the biggest building ever, all of these other buses were there, hundreds of kids who all seemed to know where they were going and me feeling very uncertain, slightly afraid. I remember walking up to an elderly gentleman who seemed like he knew what he was doing and asking him where I should go, I was wondering if I should have known already. He very gently took a look at my tag which had the name of my teacher on it and I think a line that said “I belong to Al and Pat Norton, if lost return to Hemlock Street, Islip, NY.” I was hoping he’d read that line and send me home. Alas, he didn’t, it was the Principal, Mr. Babcock, he kindly directed me to my classroom. Which, by the way, I ended up LOVING!!!!!! I also then noticed other children who seemed lost going up to him as well. He helped every child find their way.
So here’s the point, because it got me thinking, for most of us, this is what life is all about. Each step we take is a change, hopefully in the right direction but not always, more often than not we are seriously ill prepared!!! It would be great if we all just knew what we were supposed to do or if we wore a tag when we took a misstep and someone could redirect us but we do not wear this physical tag.
We need to remember that through EVERYTHING, we do belong to someone, we belong to God and if we are lost HE will guide us to where we are supposed to go. Every change, every move, every choice we make, God already knew about. He’s been directing our lives from before we were born and it is up to us to know enough to follow HIM. We don’t get to wear a tag but we carry the Holy Spirit in our hearts wherever we go. He WILL guide us if we just know enough to ask for direction.
We may think we know where we are going and what we are doing but if it wasn’t God’s plan, we aren’t going anywhere! God will change the course and we need to be ready for the CHANGE, it may not be easy but with GOD ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE (Mathew 19:26). He’ll guide us and in the end we will probably end up LOVING IT!!!!
I love my new home, I think Katherine will love her school, I didn’t know how this would turn out but God did! I am still uncertain and maybe even slightly afraid of what the future holds but I know who to go to for direction, I also know that when I lose my way, I do belong to JESUS and there is an awesome feeling having that on my “name tag.” Everything else, all the directions are in the Bible, we can’t wear it pinned to our jacket but we can carry it in our heart and God is always there ready to give directions to all of the people who “think” they know where they are going. Just ask.
We may think we know where we are going and what we are doing but if it wasn’t God’s plan, we aren’t going anywhere! God will change the course and we need to be ready for the CHANGE, it may not be easy but with GOD ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE (Mathew 19:26). He’ll guide us and in the end we will probably end up LOVING IT!!!!
I love my new home, I think Katherine will love her school, I didn’t know how this would turn out but God did! I am still uncertain and maybe even slightly afraid of what the future holds but I know who to go to for direction, I also know that when I lose my way, I do belong to JESUS and there is an awesome feeling having that on my “name tag.” Everything else, all the directions are in the Bible, we can’t wear it pinned to our jacket but we can carry it in our heart and God is always there ready to give directions to all of the people who “think” they know where they are going. Just ask.
Proverbs
3:5-6
New International Version (NIV)
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.
