Change…….

Not all change is bad.  Every October, across the world the summer greens turn to autumn hues of red, yellow, and gold, the display is stunning and one of the things we love to photograph the most!   Hot summer days turn to cool ones as the summer ends.  The older I get the more I like spring and fall and the less I like the extremes of summer and winter.  However the balance between the seasons is important.  I think change is good.  I would not like to live in a place that was always summer, or alway winter.

In God’s wisdom He knows a life also has to have ups and downs.  It is this natural cycle of life that gives meaning to times of peace and joy.  If we never faced difficulty we would have no perspective on great blessings.  Even though there is a natural oscillation in life, God does not want us to live under the burden of difficulty.  He has given us an alternative, Trust and Faith.  When we allow God to take control we learn, over time, that He is not only faithful, He also will bring good out of the difficult moments as well.  Sadly we do not learn from the time when we have no challenges, we learn when we must rely on Him.  God does not want to see us suffer, but He knows that if we do not grow strong in our reliance on Him we will suffer even worse.  I’ve often said, as bad as my two cancer experiences were, they were great times of revelation and growth.  I would not wish either of them away, they brought me too much of value.

A common prayer is, “God make this challenge go away!”  Maybe it should be, “God help me to learn from this difficult time and bring me out stronger and closer to you……..”

It’s our choice, but God stand ready to help us make the most of every circumstance.

the pilgrim

*Photo Note:  Grandfather Mountain, F100 film camera, Velvia, 80-200 f2.8 lens.