What Stays the Same when Everything’s Changed?

It only seems as though everything has changed. Otherwise, the question in the title doesn’t even make sense. Is there anything that stays the same? You already know the answer to that, but we’ll get to that at the bottom.

Some things have changed for the good. Different people will have differing view of this. Some have mentioned appreciating the time spent at home with family, and the inability to run kids to activities 6 days a week. I have found that the disappearance of college and pro sports has been a blessing, and think that I should ignore it in the future, even when it comes back. I also don’t miss seeing the “rich and famous” travelling, preening for cameras, and pontificating.  

Many of us are spending more time in our Bibles. That’s a good thing. Many are spending more time reading. I hope we are reading good things. Many are watching more TV shows and movies. I haven’t. I’ve decided that these things don’t help my soul. They do more damage than good. Not everything is bad, but it sure seems to me that you have to dig through a lot of garbage to find anything good.

But I miss seeing people, and it makes me regret not spending more time physically present with people when we were free to do so. And, I expect that many of us will purpose to do more of this in the future. Nothing beats face-to-face. I miss church gatherings. I miss the children’s Sunday school class. I miss the W. Hickory and American House; Men of Action and Wednesday nights.

So what stays the same? Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” God has not changed, and His purposes have not changed. God’s plan that centers in Christ does not now have to resort to Plan B because of a pandemic. In God’s providence, He has allowed this, and He is perfectly capable of accomplishing many of His purposes through this experience.

And so, one last question. It’s implied in the title: what stays the same when everything’s changed? This last questions is this: “will you stay the same, or will you change?" I think the answer for Christians is “yes” to both. In areas of faith, we must stay the same. And, by God’s grace, we will also learn and change.

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Do not be carried away by varied and strange teachings; for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace,” (Hebrews 13:8–9 NAS95)