Have you heard that saying before? 

For those of us who like change, it might be true. For instance, when you get a new house or a new puppy. However, that saying would only apply when changing furniture or buying a new outfit. Otherwise, I am not feeling those relaxing, fun, refreshing holiday feels. 

Especially when a change occurs that we didn’t see coming. 

Like the morning my husband returned home early from work. As he walked through the door, the look on his face told me the meeting did not go well. His eyes were heavy, and his shoulders bore an unexpected weight. They had closed his company division, and he had lost his job. My breath caught in my throat, and my only response was an embrace. 

Fear knocked on my heart’s door, and questions swirled around my mind. What now, Lord? 

Ecclesiastes 3:1 reminds us, “for everything there is a season and a time for every activity under heaven.” There is a time for laughter and a time for tears, a time for speaking and a time for silence. Change is all around us, we see it in the trees and feel it in the wind. Change is inevitable and sometimes necessary.

But how do we survive when the changing seasons don’t feel like a holiday? 

I took my burdened heart and turned to the Word, and the Lord revealed two keys: Remembrance and Thanksgiving.

“Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:21-23 (NIV)

Even though we faced uncertain days ahead, my heart filled with hope as I recalled His faithfulness. When I remembered His great love for us, the doubts and the fear dwindled away. 

1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” 

His will for us doesn’t include worry and fear. So, I chose to be thankful for His goodness and love. Despite the sudden change in our lives, His goodness will not change, and His love will not change.  Choosing to be thankful for these things caused a shift in my heart. The burden of fear lifted, and instead, His peace flooded in.

This is how to survive the changes that don’t feel like a holiday. 

I need to remember His faithfulness. I must remind myself that His love is everlasting and will carry us through any season of uncertainty.  I need to look for the things I can be thankful for no matter the circumstance.

Are you facing a change today?

Is there a season of change coming that feels overwhelming? 

Let me encourage you to turn to the Word of God. Turn your heart and mind to Jesus, His faithfulness and great love, and let His peace flood your soul. 

Laura Jane Anslow

This article first appeared in Kingdom Edge Magazine – read more here https://www.kingdomedgemag.com/search?q=Laura+Jane+Anslow