In a Storm of Change, What Is Your Anchor?

I’m living in a storm of change. Changes with my parents. Changes with Tim’s parents. Changes with my kids. An increase in my volunteer time. A decrease in my time with God. (oops!) It seems that every time I turn around, things are no longer as they once were. Right now, it seems that change is the constant. With all this change, I need an anchor–something, Someone who does not change.

My two 18-year-old “kids” are eagerly (and somewhat anxiously) looking toward their futures. This process of change is not always peaceful! One of them is in the middle of hurdling a series of obstacles. Each one seems insurmountable. But as she moves forward, sometimes with a bit of trepidation, she overcomes. My “adult child” is making adult decisions with great grace. The other one is also overcoming challenges on the road to independent adulthood. Paperwork upon paperwork. But he is gaining maturity as he diligently pursues his goals.

I’ve written before about my dear mother-in-love. She lives with dementia–her partner in life now for over 10 years. Dementia is a cruel and unwelcome companion—slowly stealing the mind, body, and soul of its host. Yes, we are in that latter stage where rarely do we see glimpses of her true self. Words of tenderness and love are exchanged for words of anger and hate. Impulse control is traded for reactionary behavior.

It’s not just people who change. The political climate in our country is changing. Just when you figured out Facebook, the designers change that, too. If you live in Texas, you know what they say about the weather. If you don’t like it, stick around a little while. It’ll change. Those words have never been truer than for this winter. One day I’m wearing pants and long sleeves. The next I’m wearing shorts and flip-flops.

The truth is, everything changes. Every thing. Every person.
People, relationships, circumstances. Nothing stays the same.

Except for One.

Regardless of how we change, how the people around us change, or how our circumstances are upended–Jesus Christ remains the same.

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

God never changes.

Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow. (James 1:17)

More importantly, no matter what we do or how we act, God’s nature and His love for us are constant. Psalm 136 is a beautiful list of the many times God showed His faithful love to Israel by rescuing her from her enemies and leading her to safety. Following each mention of His deliverance and provision are the words

… his faithful love endures forever. (Psalm 136:1)

Israel was repeatedly unfaithful to God. Yet His love was (and is) constant. He delivered them from their oppressors and provided for their needs. That’s important to me. Because I mess up. A lot. Ask my kids. They won’t lie to you. but God still loves me. And He loves you!

Who of us doesn’t have regrets?
Who sometimes wishes they could have a redo?

It’s part of our human condition. The good news is that, even on our worst days, God loves us as much as He always has (2 Timothy 2:13). Because God is love (1 John 4:7-8).

When we’re overwhelmed by a storm of change …

When we’re overwhelmed with change, chances are it’s because we can’t reverse our situation. And we want to. We’re there. We’re living it. Stuck in the messy middle. But there is hope for us.

I recall a scene from the movie “Twister.” Jo and Bill Harding have been chasing tornadoes all day. They hope to deploy a device into a twister so it can capture storm data for use in providing effective, early warning systems. At the end of the movie, they get too close to one, and it’s clear they are going to end up in the direct path of an F5 storm. They look everywhere for some place they can anchor themselves so they can ride out the storm. They find a pipe that goes into a deep well, and they strap themselves on. The unforgettable scene shows them hanging on for dear life as their bodies are blown around and lifted up by the tornado. But they never get swept away. Finally, the twister dies and they survive.

That’s the kind of anchor we need when we are living in a storm of change. When change becomes the constant, we need the Constant Who never changes.

When change becomes the constant, we need the Constant Who never changes. Share on X

What, or who, has changed in your life?

Have you lost a friend or a loved one?
Do you have a new boss? A new pastor?
Do you have a new job? Did you lose a job? Did your ministry change?
Do you have children leaving home?
Did disaster strike your home?

I might not have listed “your change.” But you know what it is. You may have many changes occurring in your life today. How are you holding up? Are you overwhelmed? What are you hanging on to?

We have a strong Anchor. You can trust Him with your change.

Let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him … Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. (Hebrews 10:22-23)

His promise? To give us the strength we need to get through every storm of change that comes our way (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). Will you meet me in His presence? Let’s hang on together!