It is always a joy to hear Pastor Alvin speak. Alvin & Patricia continue to serve the Lord through MissionGTA and through the many relationships they have across churches, denominations, and countries.
As Pastor Alvin was sharing yesterday about change, I felt the Lord wanted to highlight to the church family the main line: Do you want to be BITTER or BETTER? The only difference between the two is the “I”.
Change is unavoidable. In fact, the only guarantee in life is change. There are major changes (marriage, children, death, jobs, homes, etc.), there are transitional changes (seasons, empty nest, etc.), and there are even subtle changes (age, character, preference, etc.). All of which share a common theme – change.
As Alvin mentioned, most of us do not like change and most of us do not do well with change. When our routines or expectations have to alter it causes a disturbance – often leading to frustration and impatience.
This past weekend, we had the joy of celebrating a birthday party for little Elias Koh. We travelled into the great north (Stouffville) to enjoy tree trek climbing and nature. There were other groups there and I noticed something very quickly. I noticed that with about 150 people running around, I was the only one wearing basketball shorts. Everyone else had some form of pants on!
Everyone realized that the season had changed from summer to fall and that the new weather norm called for pants. In this silly example, I believe it paints a picture of how silly we, as human beings, can be sometimes.
Bitter: I could put my head down and tell God that summer is not over! I could wear my shorts, stand outside, and tell God that it is still summer. This will most likely lead me to getting sick and even frustrated with God because He is “not answering my prayers”… I could get bitter
OR
Better: I could recognize the season of change and realize that the change that is happening (summer to fall) is out of my control, the season change is in God’s hands and I trust He has a reason and a plan. I could get in line and accept the change, adjust my preference and put on some pants… I could get better
Change is unavoidable – our response is always what makes the difference between bitter or better.
Prayer of Serenity
O God and Heavenly Father, grant to us the serenity of mind to accept that which cannot be changed; courage to change that which can be changed, and wisdom to know the one from the other, through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.