Recently a friend reminded me fall is around the corner. Thanks to our recent move to Virginia, I look forward to seeing the leaves change color for the first time in several years.

The colorful foliage will not be the only mark of change this year. Retirement, our cross-country move, a new church family, and our first grandchild (expected March, 2021) will all impact the next few months. 

Even as I grapple with these changes in my personal life, the landscape around me constantly evolves in response to the pandemic, the presidential election and racial tensions. 

While some changes usher in joyful anticipation, others bring anxiety. In either case, change alters the status quo, and that rarely feels comfortable.

Honestly, sometimes I feel like I’m on a merry-go-round, but it doesn’t always feel very merry. In fact, I often wish I could get off and find some stability. Maybe you can relate. 

A quote from an ancient Greek philosopher, Heraclitus, claims, “The only constant in life is change.”

I disagree. While we will face numerous and continuous changes in our lives, we can claim at least one constant:

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. (Hebrews 13:8 NIV)

As Christians, we have a foundation which can never be shaken. When my life is built on Jesus, three things never change:

His Morality

Cultural views of morality constantly change. Appropriate behavior today looks, feels, and sounds very different from what I remember as a child. 

Letting the world dictate right and wrong can be frustrating and bewildering. Thankfully, the morality Jesus teaches never changes. His code of behavior is based on the unchanging Word of God:

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37-40 NIV)

With Jesus as my moral compass, I can walk with confidence.

His Promises

Have you ever heard someone say, “That’s not a threat, it’s a promise!”? We often associate promises with positive outcomes and threats with negative ones. But promises can communicate both:

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33 NIV)

Jesus never promised us an easy life without trouble. But He did promise to be with us (Matthew 28:20). Because He overcame the world, we can too.

His Grace

I once heard grace described as:

Great
Richness
At
Christ’s
Expense

Jesus paid the price for our sin through His sacrifice on the cross. As we respond to this gift by following Him, He gives us eternal life.

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. (John 10:27-28 NIV)

No matter what the world throws my way, I rest secure knowing I am, and will forever be, safe in His hands.

We find stability when we follow the One who never changes.

Whatever changes the road brings, I pray we can stand on the foundation of the One who will always remain the same.