Change Is In The Air

By

Pastor B.J. Knefley

I just finished a walk with Molly, my dog. It’s interesting to see how she has changed over the past few years that I’ve had her. Initially skittish and quiet, she’s become a very headstrong dog. She bugs me to go for a walk in the morning, but rarely asks for food or snacks. Wherever I go, she follows. If I enter the bathroom, she’s right behind me. If she isn’t sitting nearly on my lap, she’s watching every move I make and won’t let me out of her sight. If I lie down, she prefers to be under the blanket where it’s warmer. She’s a muscular 55-pound dog who doesn’t do well as a lapdog, but she tries.

Autumn is quickly approaching, and I’m noticing more leaves on my lawn. We’ve had several warm weeks, but we know this will change soon. Although it seems like weeks away, we’ll start feeling the frost in the air. Some may not want that to happen, but it will occur regardless of our wishes. Life works that way. Change comes, often when we least expect or plan for it.

The other day, I had ten tons of stone delivered to my house. As is my habit, I grabbed my rake and shovel because it needed to be spread. What’s wrong with me? What am I thinking? Do you have any idea how many shovels of stone make up ten tons? A lot! I’m not 20 years old; in fact, I’m not even 60. So, what am I doing thinking I can move ten tons of stone by myself? Now, can I do it? The answer is that over time and with a lot of effort, I could move that much, but why should I? As the saying goes, work smarter, not harder. So why do I, or even we, think we can do everything ourselves? Maybe because we’ve learned somewhere along the line that if you want something done, do it yourself. Old habits are hard to break.

Sometimes, the hardest change to handle isn’t the one that happens around us, but the change that needs to happen inside us. Maybe the change in the air is the change that must take place within us. Think about it.