Changing Times = Growing Times

Do you remember your childhood days? The days before your teens, when life was just fun and worry free. Those were the days when everything was magical and nothing was too intense. But later, things began to change, right? A best friend and you went separate ways, your parents maybe were transferred and you had to move away from all you knew, and everyone you knew began to get older. Changes hit us a little harder as we grew a little older and maybe for some of us; change is something hard to cope with, especially when looking back at the magical happy days.

In the book of Job, we see a man with good things going for him. Then one day, everything changed and it wasn't for the good, but for the worst. All his children died and he lost everything he possessed. Imagine how hard it must have been to deal with it, especially when looking back on the happy days. It's never easy to lose a loved one. Could you imagine losing many at once? These were big changes to deal with. But in the end, something interesting happened. After intense time spent with God, he himself became a changed man. He learned who he was and who God was. He grew spiritually, mentally, and emotionally. The last verses of Job talk about how God gave him more than what he had in the beginning including more sons and daughters. It definitely was a difficult process, but with God's guidance, he made it through extremely hard times.

You may be going through some unwanted changes in your life lately. Maybe, like Job, you wish you could just wake up tomorrow to realize it's all just a bad dream. Maybe work or school, or lack of them is becoming too difficult to handle. Maybe you are losing special people in your life to illnesses, death or other things and it's just too hard to face. But as difficult as it may get, God wants to hold you throughout this period. He wants to help you to come out of these things as a changed person. Remember the story of Job, and how changing time means growing time. Time to become stronger in the Lord, and to learn new things about ourselves and about God. Even though, it's hard, don't forget about God. Don't be afraid to come to God and talk about how difficult these changes are and how much you need Him. Have faith and believe that He is listening and is always working in your life, even through a difficult changing time.