Change

…and I’m not talking about the change you find in the bottom or your purse or in the pocket of an old pair of jeans, or what you keep in your car for parking metres or grocery carts. I’m not talking about a change of clothes after a sweaty workout or the refreshing change in the weather after a hot spell.

I’m talking about the change that comes from choice.

Having said that, allow me to digress for just a moment and speak to the change that comes when there has been no choice.

In the past I have shared my growing interest in horses (July, 2014 blog), and I am constantly amazed as I am exposed to the lives of these stunning creatures at how much we can learn from them, if we have a mind to.

Jake and Paige

Not by a choice, a change came to the farm (Back of Beyond) two weeks ago. We (I say we feeling somewhat part of the family of 25 horses!)…we lost Jake, a nineteen-hands, fifteen-year-old Percheron who, with his partner, Paige  pulled the wagon in the fall and the sleigh in the winter. Gentle. Majestic. Loving. He was the brawn behind the brains that came from Paige—despite his strength, Jake depended on her to keep him in line! I fed Jake apples and carrots mid afternoon on Monday and by day’s end, he’d been put down. Colic and a twisted bowel left no choice. Sadly, there will be a change for everyone and everything on the farm.

Setting the animal kingdom aside, I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge that as humans we often face changes on many levels when there has been no choice. But if I may, I’d like to return to my original thoughts about the change that comes when there is a choice.

“Life is not made of the dreams that we dream but the choices we make,” to quote Joe Stowell from the mid 80s when he spoke at MBC. I may have shared that quote before, and I offer no apology for repeating myself. The truth is, life is all about choice. From what we decide to put on in the morning, to what time we go to bed at night. From what we think, feel and say, to where and how we will spend the next twelve hours. It goes without saying that sometimes the redundancy of life is unavoidable, and we may find ourselves with little choice in certain aspects of our day. Fair enough. On the other hand, we still have the freedom to choose what our attitude will be toward that redundancy.

The point I’m getting at is when Choice knocks on the door of our lives, we are faced with a decision. And I believe that the choice made at that moment—be it large or small, for the immediate or for the future—has a direct bearing on our lives.

If you stop for a moment and think over your past twenty-four hours, how many choices have you made? Are you even aware that you’ve made them? Are they reflected in your life at the end of the day? Will they be reflected in your life in weeks, months or years to come? For example, should you buy that house? That car? Should you make that investment? Should you marry or stay single? Should you remarry? Each brings with it a change: a budget adjustment or a shared bed.

The thing is, there is no question that the choices we make every day—consciously or unconsciously—bring with them change. From something as simple as choosing to go down a different street on the way to work that changed your arrival at the office, to something far more eternal: choosing to step away from your faith and living without God being a part of your life.

If we put the two things together—choice and change—we can’t help but think twice when they knock on our door.

On Labour Day Sunday our older granddaughter leaves for Columbia Bible College in Abbotsford, BC for the one year “Quest” program. It’s an extreme, outdoor adventure program that includes biblical studies, a month mission trip to Costa Rica, along with those many things that a grandmother doesn’t want to hear about until after they’ve happened, such as white-water rafting and mounting climbing! (But, please Lord, not sky diving!)

Having been accepted at another university as well, Laura made a choice and now that choice is becoming a reality and with it will come a change. When I asked her why she made the choice to go to Columbia, she spoke of wanting to experience “personal growth,” and knowing my granddaughter, much of that will involve spiritual growth. She is ready for the change and I am happy for her and proud of her.

I asked my daughter what she thought of this decision and the resulting change that will come, not only to Laura, but to the family with her absence. Jenn’s reply was simple: “I’m thrilled for her. Sad to have her leave, but excited for her.” (Now, that’s a mother who made the right choice!)

As I write this, I have yet to ask her sister, Julia how she feels about her sister’s impending change. But I think I already know. From where I sit, I see two sisters, two peas in a pod, two best friends. Julia will be making her own choices and facing her many changes going into high school, but she will, undoubtedly, miss her sister.

So, what’s this blog all about? Simply this…choices and the resulting changes are part of all of our lives, whether they are so minor we don’t give them a second thought—like choosing tea over coffee—or whether they are life-changing. We make choices and then live with the changes that come from our decisions. Sadly, sometimes the choice is made with little thought to including God in the decision. When that happens, the change that results falls short of what God would have intended for us.

Will I miss Laura? Without a doubt. Would I wish her home at the local university? Absolutely not! She made her choice and I’m waiting and watching what God is going to do with that choice and the changes that will come from it. And, by the way, Laura didn’t leave God out of her decision!

P.S. As I reviewed the draft of this post a few hours after writing it, I couldn’t help smiling. Of course I’d choose this topic! I’ve spent the last two months, reading, thinking and praying about and preparing for this fall’s women’s Bible study I co-teach. The topic: Choose love…it’s life-changing! And if you acknowledge that God is Love, the topic takes on a whole new meaning: Choose God…He’s life-changing!

Be blessed today and be a blessing!