“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot …” — Ecclesiastes 3: 1-2
“Sunrise, sunset, sunrise, sunset, swiftly flow the days.” — “Fiddler on the Roof”
In the past several months I have seen a pattern in the reading from the Bible Lectionary: Abram (later Abraham) was guided to leave Ur and Haran to go to the land of Canaan; Leah and Rachel leave their father to go with Jacob; Moses leads the Israelites from Egypt to the Promised Land – people leaving to go somewhere else. I suppose that I am sensitive to this pattern, Alma and I are also leaving – changes in our lives.
Several years ago our son, David, told me that he had counted nine career changes that I had made. I reminded him that a job change in the same industry is only a job change. But it did get me to thinking, yeah, when I did get bored or frustrated with my boss, I looked for another job, then quit to move on. But yes, there were several career changes as well. As a boy I loved to read, but after each book I would then read a book of a different type; I suppose that even then I enjoyed change.
As I was thinking about writing this rambling, the old song “Turn, Turn, Turn,” written by Pete Seeger in 1959, subtitled “To Everything There is a Season,” kept running through my mind. For me the lyrics from the song and the words from Ecclesiastes speak about change: the cycle of life is based on change. Change happens in our lives and change is OK. Change is not always easy, and sometimes causes pain – we leave people and things that we love. Starting something new can be uncomfortable or stressful, but change is a part of life. I have found that moving is not much fun, there is a lot of sorting and throwing out. But there is also the newness of the new home – new flooring, curtains, some new furniture. Even before the move is completed we have made new friends in the new neighborhood. Yes, change; the cycle of life can be good.
We will miss the many friends we have made here over the years, but for us this change will be good. I pray that each of you looks forward to the next day, the next Sabbath, the next season, the next holiday. Please look forward, change is good.
— With God’s love, the wandering Bob Beck, former layleader of Ebbert Methodist Church.
