Step By Step

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. – Hebrews 13:8

If there’s one thing we can count on, it’s change.  Update that software, take a detour, start the new class, pay the increase, put on another layer, or say goodbye. 

We can’t stop our kids from growing up, we can’t control the weather, and we can’t take back what we just said.  But how we face changes significantly impacts our hearts and our relationship with God.

Just last week, wearing short sleeves and sandals in the 70 degree Colorado sunshine, I headed out of Boulder with the windows rolled down and the music blasting.  I sang my way up the St. Vrain river canyon until I reached the YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park.  I quickly dropped the luggage off in my little cabin and rushed back to the main lodge to attend my first writer’s workshop.

Like the teacher’s pet, I sat up straight in the front row, recording my instructor’s every word in my new notebook. I smiled and nodded in agreement when she looked my way, and shot my hand up in the air when she asked a question. By the end of the class, the woman next to me finally turned and stared.  As if caught in the act, I laughed, “I’m so excited to be here!” Her wry smile and slight nod told me that she agreed.

I couldn’t contain my joy because I felt like a weatherman reporting from the eye of a hurricane.  I was spending four days with “my people:” bloggers, writers, agents, editors, and speakers.  I couldn’t wait to meet all 250 of them and become fast friends.

When the first night ended after 9pm, I bounded out the auditorium doors and was instantly shocked by the feeling of my sandaled feet stepping into something like an ice bath.  SNOW!  I picked up the pace and, squinting to keep out the blowing flakes, noticed some high-school students on a retreat engaged in a fierce snowball fight.  They were sure embracing change just fine. This sharply contrasted with the nearby couple scrapping snow off their car and loudly complaining about their trip being ruined. I quickly escaped the family feud and drove to my cabin.

At first light, I opened the curtains to more than two feet of snow covering everything. No sidewalks or roads were plowed.  I looked down at my phone, no service.  I switched on the light, no power.  I looked at the thermostat, no heat.  I raced to the kitchen… thank you God… I had coffee!  The timer must have brewed a pot before the power failed.  Wrapped in a blanket, I could feel the temperature in the cabin dropping as I quickly drank the hot coffee.  I thanked God that although change abounds, He remains the same.

Jesus is the same, yesterday, today and tomorrow.  We can count on His presence every time we call upon His name.  And thankfully, we can rely on His guidance through unexpected storms.

For the next two days I trekked from my cabin to the conference hall and back through two, then three, and finally almost four feet of snow.  (Driving was out of the question).  Trudging through waist high, heavy snow should become the next trendy workout, because boy do you sweat.  I was extremely thankful for a pair of waterproof running pants I’d tossed into my suitcase at the last minute. I was equally thankful for the praise music blasting from my phone as I took each snowy step with purpose.

When the conference ended and my car had finally been dug out, I drove out under the wooden sign that reads: Happy Trails To You!  Ha! Yes, my trails back and forth through the heavy snow had been a lot of work, but they had also been good for my relationship with God.  Step by step we trekked together and therefore joy abounded.

In a world that changes overnight, aren’t you thankful God never does? 

The Power of Giving God Thanks Will Ignite Your Faith and Change Your World!

Thank You for Being a Part of the 

3 O’Clock Wake Up Movement