Change is in the air. November means crisper air and cooler nights accompanied by apple cider and pumpkin spice. Every glance outside brings visions of bright orange leaves that gather in beautiful piles and crunch as we trudge through them. For those of us in college, November means we're over halfway done with our first semester. Especially for those of us that are seniors, every leaf that falls reminds us that this time of change is bigger than the looming presence of winter.
Change this year is bigger than ever. It will be the first time in my life that school is not the expected next step. For the first time in my life, the future is really uncertain. And as I look out my window at those crunchy red and yellow leaves, I wonder if I'll be the same as them. When change happens, what will I look like? When I change, will I fall like those leaves? What will others think of my external changes?
I've realized that this isn't the right question. In a season of change, it's normal to look different. The external decisions we make will manifest themselves in a change of external perception. Parents, friends, professors - all will ask what we're doing next. But these external changes are not what's most important.
Every year those trees grow leaves that then change and fall, only to be raked up and blown away. But the tree remains standing. So do I care more about the tree or its leaves? Will I worry more about the external changes than who I really am?
This time of change means I have the ability to root myself in what matters. To stabilize myself not in the seen, but in the unseen. Yes, that tree outside my window is changing drastically from the outside. But its source is the same, and that is why it stands firm through all the seasons. Every morning, I will wake up to see that same exact tree - no matter the season.
The roots of this tree are firmly planted in Jesus Christ. So when everything around me starts to change, when the things I've held onto as my own begin to fall off, my response is to Him. Ultimately, we are changing in the hands of a God who has not, does not and will not ever change. The externalities will change, but my Savior will not. So in the midst of whatever this next season holds, this tree will stay rooted firmly in the One who made her, loves her and sustains her.
Therefore, just as you have received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, established in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
Colossians 2:6-7
