The Unchanging Ever-changing God

I needed time to come to the realization, and had to have help from an unlikely source to finally understand that God's unchanging character is rooted in ever-changing to be fresh to each new situation in the same loving yet demanding manner. While working for the Internal Revenue Service, I was told the only thing constant about the IRS was change. As I ponder this, it struck me that God is the same always because God is always fresh and new, present at Creation, but just as present today. Brooding over the chaos from which our sphere of existence is said to have come from, and brooding over the chaos I make of my own life. Loving all the things created and pronouncing them good, then returning after the resurrection of Jesus to tell Peter, "Don't you call anything I've made unclean!" And now loving all around me except the ways we all willfully fly in the face of God's grace and love.

The earth is composed of the same materials it has been since coming into being, yet is is most decidely different today than from the 1930s, from the Middle Ages, from the time of the Patriarchs, from the time of dinosaurs and before. We can accept that, at least most of us can, but we cannot bring ourselves to understand that God also changes to be fresh for us and for our children.

Many traditions hold strongly to Paul's statement we are to work out our own salvation in fear and trembling - even telling the pastor that this is OUR faith - but we are not in the least tentative about telling someone else - young or old - how THEY should believe. God doesn't do that, Jesus didn't do that, so where do we get an understanding that allows us to do so? Perhaps from the desire to make sure our particular corner of the world always stays comfortable, non-threatening, safe and secure forever. Only it doesn't, does it? It changes on us from one minute to the next!!

I hope sharing some of the struggle I went through on this issue will help others also consider that the unchanging God is yet ever-fresh and new! Perhaps that will help us to start being more tolerant of others who are different than we are, more accepting of God's brilliant array of life and thought, and thus more blessed as we live our own path to God's new realm.

May it be so! Peace!