I remember when...

So, we've all heard someone say, "I remember when..."  Maybe it has even been one of us.  Sometimes this statement is preface to a great memory... a wedding, the birth of a child, a funny situation from childhood or something crazy we did with friends.  But other times this statement is the preface to a story of a different kind... a story which reflects the belief that things were better, safer, or more honorable in a time that is past or before some significant change occurred.


We hear this a lot today - in the church and in society.  Some people believe that life would be good if there was never any change, or if we could go back to the way things used to be, as if that would be a magical cure to all that is wrong with the world.  But think of what we would have to "give back" if we were miraculously able to go back in time.  think about conveniences like smartphones and the internet... innovations in medicine and machinery... and for me, relationships that would have never materialized if things always stayed the same.


I remember than when I talked to my parents about going to seminary, my mom was worried, because her dad was a minister, and she wanted a more stable life for me than she remembered growing up.   And I must admit that I took her concerns seriously, and prepared to be able to come and leave and come again.  (Little did she know that I would meet and marry a wonderful man who really give me a mobile lifestyle.)  It has not always been easy, and I have not always been happy right away in new situations.  But I think that I am the better for all the changes in my life.  And I hope that I have made a difference in the lives of people that I have known and loved.  So I can give thanks everyday for the opportunities that I have had to do new and different things and to live in lots of different kinds of places.


But the price I have the pay is going on around me... the sound of crinkling paper and tape being pulled and boxes being filled.  These are long days, and there are long days on the other end, too.  But in the end, this change means good things, if only because we get to decide that good will come from all that happens around us.  


We each get to choose how we react and respond to the change that goes on in our lives and in the world.  The life that I live calls me not only to serve Christ in my heart, but live out that life in my relationships with others.  Remember this: Joyful and compassionate people make for joyful and compassionate communities, and together, we can do anything.  Paul's words to the Colossians help us learn how do live these kinds of lives.  May these words be written in our hearts and lived out in our lives as we all face the change before us, now and in the time to come.  


Peace, Deb 


Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. (Colossians 3:12-14 NIV)