Heat Rises...

    Now that the cold weather has returned, I am reminded again that heat rises, even though in this situation, it seems counter-intuitive.  Let me explain.                                                                                Our home is about two-thirds up the side of a 2300 foot tall mountain, which makes for some interesting dynamics and great science lessons for my kids.  I didn’t notice it too much the first winter, but the second winter I remember walking out on a cold morning and realizing there was no frost on the ground nor the cars.  I’d head down the mountain, and by the time I reached the houses below, the roofs, lawns, and cars would glisten with the frozen film.  I've never being a great scientist, so it took a little thought, but I realized that’s because heat rises and it is warmer at my house than below.
    Now that may sound like a no-brainer, but when I am talking temperature change, I mean a true shift in just a few hundred feet elevation change.  I can drive out in the morning when it is 39 degrees at the house, but when I get to the church below the thermometer on the car reads 30 or sometimes colder!  It’s amazing to me how with such short distance there can be so much change.

    Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about the change.  As my children grow up, I realize I am aging, and with their maturing so increases the activity level after school and in the evenings.  Add one dance class a week, and everything has to shift.  Things change.
    Professionally I’m at a space where I am realizing that change is in order.  That the 18 years of learning is the foundation for what the next 18-20 will be, and in order to both make my work impactful and rewarding, as well as meaningful for myself, it’s time to begin to prayerfully take some risks for the Kingdom and in my own life so that I can live into the gifts God has given me and call for which God has prepared me.  In thinking about these things, it seems like just a little change has an impact exponentially.  Things change.
    Most especially, and maybe hardest to navigate, the Church is at a point where we need to change.  I use the term “Church” with a big “C” because indeed the institution of the Church can so easily become set in her ways, and in doing so get comfortable in it’s own skin.  When that happens, we forget that the Church is the one organization that exists almost solely for those outside the community.  We could discuss THE Church, your church, my church, whichever church, but church is church and often one small change can be perceived and received as seismic and threatening.  Things change.

    As I have been thinking about such changes, I’ve been reminded of how scary change is.  To enter into change is to risk being changed.  It opens the possibility of going into the unknown.  It means giving up control and trusting.  Ultimately, as I’m working through the changes of life I’ve found myself turning back toward faith and trusting in God.
    After all, the Bible is filled with story after story of folks who went through changes.  From Abraham to Moses to the Prophets, the Disciples, even Jesus revealing a whole new way of seeing the world, biblically we are reminded that change is inevitable, BUT that God is unchanging.  That the God who calls us to enter the change goes with us, and even guides us so that on the other side, we emerge blessed and a blessing.  And what is even more amazing is that God knows that sometimes it just takes a small shift for the Kingdom of God to break loose in the world.


    One other thing that I’ve been thinking about and realized is that at the higher elevations, it’s a little warmer but it can also give us a better perspective.  That is, from on top of the mountain we can look down and see the big picture, and when we see the bigger picture, we are better able to navigate the change because there is less that is unknown.
    Relating that allegory to life, it’s vital to go to that place of warmth and elevation when trying to navigate change, and the way we do that is to step back from acting, and instead reflect and pray for the right approach, rather than the next approach.  When one steps away, our eyes are opened, the voices of fear subside, and we can rationally and deliberately enter that knowing and feeling that, though it may be frightening, God is already there and will remain with us.


What changes are happening in your life?
Try this: For one week in every decision you make, stop before reacting, ask for God’s help, then listen, look at the bigger picture, and follow God’s lead.