Change

 Genesis 5:24 And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.

The other day my sister and I were talking about  how difficult it is to use a magnified mirror to do our eyebrows.  It is insane because in order to see your reflection in the mirror that is suppose to help you see better, you have to put on glasses.  Both of us are in our mid-forties and experiencing vision problems that come naturally with this time of our lives.  It is crazy how things begin to go once you hit the 40 mark.  At forty I noticed “things” were beginning to head south; at 43 I noticed my face was really showing some lines and wrinkles; at 44 I lost my perfect 20/20 vision and now at 45 my bladder has decided it wants my attention when ever it wants.  It is an impatient little thing that I am growing to literally hate!  I joke with my friends that God really did a doozie on women because while we are experiencing all this “change” we also are having to let go of our children.  We (I) are (am) an emotional basket case half the time and all these other little changes really don’t help my disposition at all.  Can I get a witness?

I am using humor to try and get your attention about a very important topic. Change.  Change can be a good thing, and sometimes is a very necessary thing.  Yes, everyone would like to stay the same and in our comfort zones, but that is not how it really goes in life, is it? And, not all change comes on it’s own accord.  Sometimes WE have to implement it if we want a different outcome.

Today we want to look at someone who took advantage of making some changes for the good.  The Bible tells us that Enoch walked with God.  That means in a time when the whole world was going off and doing their own thing before the flood, Enoch decided he was going to walk with the Creator.  It was a conscious decision that any one of the other men or women mentioned in the history of mankind could have made.  The world around him was changing for the worse, so is ours.  The people around him didn’t walk with God, neither do those around us.  God was not leading every home or political spot during Enoch’s life, and the same can be said today.  But none of those things detoured Enoch.  He made a change in the midst of change.  He took advantage of HIS OWN LIFE and decided HE would personally walk with God.

Facebook this past week was unbearable.  If it wasn’t a man talking about the woes of the government, it was a woman telling how proud she was to be a southerner.  If there were twenty posts about one man + one woman, there were 40 about equality. There were rainbows and confederate flags everywhere, each with all kinds of different meanings.  I watched arguments, mean words and insults tossed back and forth from all sides.  Change is happening and happening fast during my life.

But regardless of all the change, I know for sure that God KNEW that Sheri Loyd Edwards would be living as a 45 year old missionary with sagging body parts, poor vision and an impatient bladder during this time.  He KNEW all this would happen while I am trying to get used to changes in my family.  He KNEW tears would live in my eyes, threatening to spill over at the drop of a hat.  He KNEW that my life would span over a time where there were great preachers and fallen preachers.  He KNEW that disappointment would fill my heart over heroes of the faith who did NOT take advantage of the moments of their lives.  He KNEW I would be faced with the same decisions those through history have faced, but the choice as to what I do, is, as always, left up to my free will. 

I have to decide, will I take advantage of the air in my lungs to praise or curse?  Will I take advantage of my sight to focus on the evil or look up to the hills for my redemption? Will I take advantage of my ears to listen to the devils confusion or will I listen for the trumpet? Will I take advantage of my hands to point in pride or hug in love?  Will I take advantage of my steps to walk WITH God or away from Him? 

Enoch didn’t let the changing times change him for the worse.  No, Enoch made the conscious decision to keep on keeping on.  There is a courage there inside of us that we can grab hold of and continue forward with God, we just need to take advantage of our moments here on earth to do it!

Will you become a part of the change around you or will you AFFECT change in your life?

Until next time, Lord willing,

Sheri