(Photo by Selma Komisky)

Thankful for a Constant God in an Inconsistent World

By Sarah Komisky

Consistency. It’s the thing we humans lack. In my deficiency, what I’m currently most grateful for is knowing the One who meets one of my greatest deficits. All human beings are flawed. We miss the mark. We make mistakes. We disappoint. We hurt one another and in this world, things change. Seasons. Addresses. Vocation. Relationships. Our bodies. Our health. Circumstances. Ourselves. Just as the world is changing, so do we.

For some of us, that can be quite scary. Familiarity can be comforting because it’s what we know. And when the wind blows and changes the forecast, it can be exciting, but it can also be unnerving as we move seemingly move into unknown territory.

Some change is scary because it calls us to overcome. When trust has been broken, maybe it’s hard to trust again. We don’t want to get hurt and will avoid it at all costs. We hide. We close off our true self in an attempt to self-protect. Underlying that is the fear of rejection, abandonment, betrayal, and hurt. So, we are afraid to be vulnerable and choose to simply scratch the surface in relationships, fearing what was done will replay in your present.

Or maybe there is fear because what we are experiencing is out of our comfort zone. Maybe it’s a road we never walked down before and are a bit rattled by it. Maybe it’s simply because we want things and people to remain as they are. Maybe we don’t want to say goodbye to what we need to or what God is calling us to do a new work.

Some of us don’t even like when our seat (you know, OUR seat) is taken by another or our favorite food item is now off the menu or when our favorite band breaks up! NOOOOOOO!! They are revamping our favorite amusement park ride; we like the other version better.

Remaking How the Grinch Stole Christmas?? Can anyone say #wemissDrSeuss? I had a funny conversation with a friend who was getting riled up over the fact that the Chuck E. Cheese mascot was not what he once was when she was a kid. She was making a case for the new, more slimmed down and health conscious Chuck E. to go back to the old version of himself (lol). Time change? Don’t even get that conversation going––it will go on for days. We laugh at these dirty little secrets, but in all seriousness, change is change. As human beings, we don’t like it.

Although these examples make us laugh, it is important to note something that seems minor can be major to someone else and we must always be sensitive to that. Minimizing or comparing is not God’s heart when someone is hurting from change. We need to seek to be understanding regardless of what it seems in our eyes.

Loss is loss. Whether it’s a job, relationship, health change, something that was dear to us, or the closed chapter of an old season, it’s important to acknowledge and grieve over it to see things in a new light. I’ve felt a lot of different emotions with the change I’ve experienced in my life this year. Anxiety was the root. But one day when I was working through one of these circumstances, the thought came, “What if I could embrace the newness in this?” It seemed to open a window of thought that was open-handed to what God was doing. If I chose to stay in the old, I could never enjoy the beauty of the new. That, my friend, is the beauty that can be discovered in change.

Through it, we discover new people, places, and experiences and in the process, we change for the better. That is something I am thankful for.

I am also thankful that I am not alone in change. God knows it can be uncomfortable and at times, painful, but He walks me through it. He is the consistency in my life. Hebrews 13:8 says that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. That is really good news when your world is shaken. This truth is our anchor. God’s love, grace, goodness, compassion, fidelity, and presence do not change. That is comforting! We have Someone to go to who is constant when we ourselves, others around us, and circumstances are not. That is our safe place. All circumstances might not be good at the moment, but good can come through them as God promises to work all things for good for those who love Him and are called to His purpose (Romans 8:28). When you’re in the midst of change, that is not some nice Christianese jargon or a plaque on your wall. That’s a truth to hold onto when everything seems unstable. He is sure. His words to us are reliable. He Himself is our steadfast hope in and in Him, we can place our trust in faith to bring us to a good place as we focus our eyes on Him instead of our circumstances (Hebrews 12:2).

It’s important to know that things don’t have to be the same to be good. Taking a step with God and trying something new does not omit fear, and we can acknowledge that, but if we are willing to embrace the change, we can discover some amazing things. This Thanksgiving, take some time alone with God to think about what the changes are in your life that are causing uneasiness, discomfort, or pain and talk to Him about it. Grieve. Release. Then thank Him for His constant presence through the change and open your heart to the newness He wants to do, expecting goodness through it.