(Photo by Selma Komisky)
Refreshment Found in Changes
By McKenzi Matsick
Change. It is something we all go through in life, yet a lot of the time, it can be stretching and uncomfortable. However, change is needed and can be looked at through the lens of something that is good and refreshing.
Before you continue with reading this article, simply stop for a minute or two and think about where you personally are at in life right now. Are you in a season of change? How are you feeling? If you cannot apply your thoughts to a current situation, think about something that happened in the past that caused you to step out of your comfort zone and into something new. What was that process like for you?
For me personally, I have experienced and am currently experiencing a huge transition season. I graduated high school two years ago, have studied with five different colleges/universities since then, and am now about to make my home in a place that is eight to nine hours away from where I have grown up my whole entire life.
After I graduated from high school, while also earning my two-year degree at the same time, I was very undecided on where to attend college. Throughout my time at the first university I attended, I endured a rough, dry season that greatly impacted the mindset I had for my future. I was all over the place and not happy with life, and it wasn’t until this year that God started to move and work in ways that I had never seen before.
He brought me out of a period of change that was uncomfortable and at times miserable, and He is leading me into a place of revival and refreshment. If it wasn’t for those hard times, I would not be where I am today. Though hard, those moments were needed for God to stretch me and prepare me for this big move that I am about to make, which I believe will be the setup of what He has called me to do in serving within the Christian music industry.
Not only on a personal level, but also on a global level, we are experiencing change after change in 2020. We were forced into quarantine, reminded as a whole how to protect ourselves and others with caution and personal hygiene, and enlightened to change how we treat our brothers and sisters of all colors and backgrounds. It indeed has been a year of revival and renewing our thoughts and actions in daily life; these instances are only the main ones that have been brought to light. There of course are several others as well.
It is easy to look at a year like this as something that is horrible, tragic, and confusing at times, but I have found that so many are starting to see this year as something that was needed. People joked saying that they prayed for God to give them “20/20” vision this year, and in a lot of ways, we have seen that for sure.
As Believers, we can see that this year is a reminder that the return of our Savior is drawing closer and closer. Our eyes are being opened like never before, and God is using us to spread the gospel and the message of His truth and love to everyone we can reach for His sake. My challenge to you, my fellow Christian, is to not give up in the face of hardship and adversity. We are ambassadors for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20), and now more than ever, we need to be on guard through the spiritual warfare that is raging globally. We need to share with others that there truly is good in all of the change around us that tends to bring about fear, and Jesus is that “Good News” that outweighs all of the negativity.
For Believers and non-Believers alike, use this crazy time as a way to reflect on where you have been and where you are now. Find time to renew and refresh yourself, while also learning to be still amidst all of the chaos. What refreshes you? Prayer, meditation, exercise, music, etc.? Use those very things that you love most to help you create revival in your life.
There is good in the world if we choose to see it, and the ultimate source that provides an eternal well that overflows with refreshment in life is Jesus Christ.
Find out more about McKenzi by visiting www.cactusroseco.org/
MARKED MINISTRY 