A Change is Coming

Proverbs 31: 25

Strength and honor are her clothing She will laugh at the future.

We first met Mrs. Cook when we moved into the subdivision that was behind her little farm house. She soon became my mentor, inspiration, confidante, and dear friend, and we enjoyed many Southern dinners at her table with food from her garden.

She owned twelve acres that were a pasture. The land had belonged to her family for over 100 years. In 1989 she got tired of bush-hogging it; so she let it go “natural.” Within a year pine trees sprouted and three years later they had become a forest. Now many hard woods have joined the pines making delightful, deep woods.

In 2000 she sold us two acres and we built a house on the other side of the woods, close enough to still be her neighbor but far enough away for us both to feel like we lived in the country. So all these years those acres of woods have provided privacy and entertainment. It was home to a family of deer, a large variety of birds, coyotes, wild turkeys, squirrels without number, two possums that intimidated my medium-sized dogs, and for a time, a large peacock. When the grandchildren come for a visit, those woods become large forts, adventurous trails, and mysterious paths that lead to intriguing sights and sounds. And for us, it simply gives us the illusion of living in the wild.

Last year our neighbor and friend went to heaven at the age of 107, and her son who lives hundreds of miles away inherited the land. Last week the rezoning signs went up and it appears the woods will soon be sold. The proposal is for 39 houses to be built on ten acres. If you do the math you will soon see that we will no longer live in the woods but in a small village. It will be a change for sure.

It has taken a little while to adjust to this idea. I suppose in my small mind I actually thought the property would stay as it is for all eternity! I am happy for Mrs. Cook’s family who owns the land. They have a good buyer. But I don’t want anything to change. I love the trees, the animals, the fun…the isolation. I love things to stay just the way they are.

It is interesting that Jesus does not have any trouble with change. In fact He seemed to demand it while He was here on earth. Peter and John, James and Andrew were fishermen and in the instant of a call, they became disciples and their lives were never again spent watching for fish or the seas and isolated from people. They went from obscurity to the limelight…one that was not appreciated…with more enemies then they could ever imagine. And they changed the world.

Paul was adored as the Pharisee of Pharisees and in the moment of a call became the hated one among the Jews, brutally treated and at last beheaded, only to have an eternal impact through his writings, changing the lives of millions.

So I have changed my mind. I came to see it was not about ME but about God who will bring good from this land deal. He has a purpose and I am to be a tool in His hand for that good. How do I look at my lovely woods that will soon be a small village? It is good.

I will miss the wild animals but they will be replaced by civilized people. (Hopefully!) Some will be true sisters and brothers, and some will become sisters and brothers …. some day. It is simply an opportunity to expand the family.

And we will miss the trails and forts and mystery paths, but they will be replaced with children who are even more exciting playmates, with imaginations that can capture greater adventures than the woods.

I will miss the isolation, but in its place I may find a deep, deep friendship that will bring a certain joy and peace that I could never find in the forest. And perhaps because I live here, God will bring those to whom I can be a tool to bring about change in their lives.

Change? It is good. ____________________________________________________________________

Next week we will meet as a board to pray and talk through the future of Big Dream Ministries. Simply the word FUTURE implies that things will not remain the same. There will and must be changes. Perhaps a new direction, perhaps new studies, perhaps new people involved. But with one look at God’s Word we do see that He is into change, and from change He always brings forth good. That is what He does and so, like the Proverbs 31 woman, we laugh at the future because through Him it will be good.