Chaplain's
Corner
Jannett Hawley 2008-2010
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Several attendee's at Summer Planning July 2008 requested the text read by Jannett.
CHANGE
Are you uneasy about your changing world? Chances are you are not alone. Endings and beginnings are tough for most people. It often seems we are going through a period of adjustment whether we like it or not.
But just like the question, “Is the glass half full or half empty?” it’s hard to tell the difference from endings and beginnings. Although most people may prefer the comfort of their work and relationships staying the same, that would eliminate the growth process that accompanies every transition. The stability and security you cherish may vanish with an ending, but the good news is that when something dies, something else is born.
Martin Luther once said, “I have had many things in my hands, and have lost them all; but whatever I have been able to put in God’s hands, I still possess." We need to learn to let go of things in order to live with any measure of stability. If anything in this world is impossible, it is the effort of attempting to stop endings and beginnings.
To let go and live means to allow some doors to close so new ones may open. Like the saying goes, God does open a window when he closes a door. That can be tough to see sometimes, but if you look back at your life, chances are you can see the hand of God in each and every change. God wants us to remember and cherish the past without clinging to it. We can’t go back…only forward. Our past, truly, is not our potential.
So as much as we all would like things to stay comfortable and just as they are, we need not fear change because our God is the God of our past, present, and future. Change is part of God’s plan for us to grow and do the work God wants us to do while we are alive on this planet.
As our world continues to change, let’s remember that to let go of the past allows us to claim the bright future God has waiting for us. And that makes it all worthwhile.