Change

By Pastor Paul Gauche

Today’s Word: ‘Change’… as in everything is changing, but what does that mean?

The words ‘change’ and ‘transition’ have been on our minds a lot lately. The ramp-up that the end of August signals and the beginning of September ushers in gets more frenetic every year. It seems like Labor Day is that one day in the midst of the hoopla and hilarity when we pause, take a breath, ride a bike, or grill something before we’re right back into the busyness of everything.

But change and transition are two very different movements.

Let’s consider the changes. August has changed into September. Our summer schedule has changed to a Fall schedule. Docks are coming out, long sleeves are in, cabins are closing, schools are opening (for now). Changes are physical, tangible, and exterior: we have a different schedule, a new address, another project. Transitions are cerebral, intangible, interior. A transition isn’t the new job, the different schedule. But the transition asks us to understand what the change means.

The hard work of changes and transitions is becoming available to what they have to teach. I like to think that when Jesus called his followers to leave what they were doing and follow him that they took at least a few moments to wonder what their new rhythm of life was going to mean. I hope that even as they set down their nets and walked away from their boats and bean-counting that they wondered: “What now?” Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s words still haunt me: “When Christ calls us to follow, he calls us to give up our lives.” That’s asking a lot.

So what do the changes you’re going through mean for you? A different schedule, a new routine, a changing season, letting something go are all changes. What doesn’t change is the heart beating in your chest and the values you hold dear. So asking what all of this means is really to ask this: “Who am I, What am I doing here? How will I live more fully into the days ahead?” Everything is changing. But what does that mean?

#100days50words

Paul Gauche is the Pastor of Life Transitions at Prince of Peace. His posts are part of his #100days50words project, where he blogs about a different word each week. You can follow his project on Instagram (@pgauche) or on his blog, Thriving Rhythms.