CHANGES

By Patti Iverson

“Change the poem, Change the line. Change the meaning, Change the rhyme. Change the outcome, Change the plan. Change the mood, Change the man. Change your looks, Change your smile. Change your going, stay awhile. Change your past, Change your time. Change your future, stay, be mine.” Willliam Greer

Wow! What gal wouldn’t fall for that poem? Then soon she’d change all right! A baby, dog, minivan, picket fence, and boom! Then her life has really changed - forever! All due to a romantic ditty! But then, so did that Mr. Greer’s life, heh heh!

The old jokes crack me up. How many evangelists does it take to change a light bulb? Only one, but the bulb must repent of its darkness and be willing to change. Even funnier than that is Andy Warhol’s: “They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.” This from a strange artist/philosopher (?) who didn’t care about anything, so he said, and lived.

The entire world, from Genesis to Revelation, is about change. “If we change our thoughts we can change the world.” (Peale) But God said it first. “If My people, who are called by name, will humble themselves and turn from their wicked ways, (CHANGE), then I will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 2:14. Big “if” there, for a real change in the world. A fanatic is one who can’t change his mind and won’t change the subject. Lots of them around and they are a pain in the neck! In the Bible everything but God goes through changes, beginning with creation: wages, lifestyles, religions, leaders, nature, dress, names, domiciles = just to name a few that sound just like today!

Change= Reformation=Renewal=Revival. Today folks think it’s God’s work the world’s way. NO! It’s God’s work God’s way that is what’s right, then God gets the glory and be it Medford, Oregon or deepest Africa, we, His people, will be blessed down to our socks! Doesn’t it sound wonderful? We need to change. To re-think how we live. To be holy.

How very thankful I am to love the one constant, unchangeable Lord God who simply remains Himself, exactly as always; past, present, future. It gives me security and pure comfort when I, myself, and life around me change incessantly.

Think about changes: change of life, global climate, 9/11, political realm, minorities, values, missions, visions, humor, age, sizes, and everything we think we are, do, or be seems to get caught up in the game of change. Some for the better, and some for much worse. Arrrgh! We jolly well better keep our senses of humor intact or we’ll blow up inside.

Jesus to the rescue! Revelation 1: 17-18: “Do not be afraid. I am... alive forever and ever and I hold the keys of death and Hades.” Everything comes and goes, rises and falls, but Jesus is our unchanging, infallible, and alive Lord of all—FOREVER. Well, that’s good enough for me! So, bring on the changes. He’s got us covered.

Patti Iverson randpi2@charter.com