Five pretty blouses taunt me whenever I hang fresh laundry in my closet.
The blouses taunt me because they should have been given away a couple of years (and several pounds) ago. I had hoped to drop a bit of weight and wear them once more as I did when I worked. I should have already passed them on to someone who needed them. Instead, they hang in my closet. I hate admitting to myself that I still need them. I need them because they are a part of what once was.
So much has changed over the last few years. First, the surgery that led me to an earlier-than-planned retirement. I wasn’t ready to leave a career I had loved for decades. Then, within a year, we sold our home and moved out of state. The changes left me wondering, What in the world do I do now in a new location and at this new phase of life? It has sometimes felt like a barren desert instead of the new adventure I had hoped for.
It was no accident when I turned to the Bible for comfort that I found God’s word to Isaiah: “Behold I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”
When I read this, God reminded me that He would indeed show me how to navigate this new life phase, which doesn’t include fitting into those five blouses or going to work each day. My part is to wait and trust. Believe me, I find that to be a challenging job. But I know God has been faithful in the past and will be in the present and future.
We all struggle at times with the many changes life can bring. During those times, we can hold fast to our loving God and remind ourselves to trust Him to show us the way on our new paths. He will supply streams of refreshment along the journey.
As for me, I think I will start by folding those five pretty blouses and placing them on the give-away pile. Who knows? Maybe I will find a few more things to add to it.
What lessons has God taught you through change?
(photo courtesy of pixabay.com.)
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Deborah Hendricks is a retired teacher, lifelong learner, and lover of small things. She has enjoyed writing since adolescence. Since retiring, she enjoys writing reflective devotionals, which she occasionally shares with a small group of friends. She helps with young children at church and treasures living where she can watch two of her granddaughter’s grow into adulthood. She and her husband enjoy living by a small patch of woods with its abundance of birds, deer, and new baby wild turkeys each summer.