He Has Not Changed

Written by Dcn. Sue Bliese - Holy Spirit Anglican - Akron, OH

​When I came home from work I was greeted by an envelope on the kitchen table. It was from my health insurance provider. It was unmarked; no “Bill Enclosed” or “Important Information About Your Account.” Hmmmm. No thank you, I thought. I am done adulting today.

My day had not been particularly hard, but nothing makes me want to deny my
responsibilities more than insurance. So many details, so many new vocabulary words. Where is the responsible adult who takes care of this stuff? Oh yeah, that’s me. Well, not that night. I’d had enough of reality and was ready to live in denial for an evening.

2020 has been a particularly difficult year. It’s been a year of racial tensions, crazy
politics, and pandemic. Businesses have closed, student fail rates have doubled, and people have lost loved ones. If there ever was a time to feel like you are done adulting for a while this may be it. Sleeping late, staying in your pjs all day and watching cartoons until July might seem like the best solution. I feel you.

Fortunately we adults do have someone more responsible watching over us, who loves us and provides for us. A creator who takes care of his creation. Whatever happens, I am not adulting on my own. I have this awesome heavenly Father, who delights in me and thinks I am worth, well, his son.

In this year of unprecedented changes, he has not changed. Hard times do not intimidate him. He is still “turn[ing] the rock into a pool, the hard rock into springs of water” (Ps. 114:8) I am still seeing friends find God and experiencing new life in Christ. My friend who works with college students reports full zoom small groups who want to be filled with the Spirit. Their natural resources are running out. That Spirit will pour out the Father’s love into their hearts (Rom 5:5). Circumstances do not matter; he is still offering those near and far strength that comes from outside themselves, a safe home within his heart where we can know we are his beloved child.

Sometimes I mess up and run away and hide when I should face reality. And sometimes that makes me feel awful about myself. But the morning after I denied the reality of the insurance letter I woke up feeling fresh and new. God does take care of me, my sins and mistakes not because of what I do but because his grace and love is real. I can trust him. And the letter was only informational – I can adult that!

And so, with spirits fully alive, safe in the care of our loving heavenly Father, we can
change out of our pjs and put real pants on. We, like the gates in Psalm 24, lift up our heads as we face 2021, that “the King of Glory may come in.” You are welcome in my heart Lord. We look forward to your new year.

Psalm 24:7-10 (NIV)
Lift up your heads, you gates;
    be lifted up, you ancient doors,
    that the King of glory may come in.
Who is this King of glory?
    The LORD strong and mighty,
    the LORD mighty in battle.
Lift up your heads, you gates;
    lift them up, you ancient doors,
    that the King of glory may come in.
Who is he, this King of glory?
    The LORD Almighty--
    he is the King of glory.