Yesterday, a dearly loved member of my family passed away. She was eighty-three and died from a mixture of old age and internal complications.
Thankfully, my family felt moved to say our goodbyes to this dear relative, and so last week my father and I drove 800 miles to Florida. We managed to spend a good amount of time with her, although she was unconscious or incoherent most of the time. We sang over her, prayed, spoke, laughed, cried. . . and we made memories.
Change. It’s what defines us, is it not? At some points in our daily lives, we resist change in its various forms. Changes in relationship, physical location, and mood are all common things that we, as humans, deal with on a daily basis. However, some forms of change can be beneficial to us, some more obvious than others. While a job change that increases your salary by 40% is an obviously good change, a death in the family would likely be considered the opposite. Despite this quick classification, you may not realize at the time that the death of that loved one will actually shape you and your relationship with God in the future.
This is where Romans 8:28 comes into play. It says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” The verse is very clear- God works all things for good, including change. Should change be resisted? Maybe, maybe not. It depends on the situation. However, one thing is for certain- God works all change for his good, and in some way, change will be good for you or someone around you.
I love talking about cultural differences. Quite honestly, they are something I could talk about for hours. The differences found between cultures is fascinating, and today’s example is no exception.
The owl has been associated with wisdom for centuries, dating back all the way to Greek culture. The Greeks believed that the owl was a symbol of Athena, goddess of wisdom, and as such hoped that the coming of the owl symbolized the coming of Athena. They passed this belief on to the Romans, who heavily influenced the development of Europe, which eventually lead to the influence of American culture itself.
Elisha McFarland 