Change is the only constant.
These words are attributed to Heraclitus, a Greek philosopher from around 500 BC. And although the philosopher had something much more far-reaching than markets and supply/demand, the principle has become a word to live by in the business world. Most of us have never heard of Herclitus, but a more recent philosopher has reframed the idea for modern ears:
Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.
Since we pulled off the road in March due to the rising pandemic, we’ve been taking life in spoonfuls, not sure what would be next. There have been moments when we weren’t sure if we’d be able to pull a full team together, or if we’d have any churches interested in holding special meetings in the current climate.
Change is the only constant. You never know what you’re gonna get.
Even in the face of this uncertainty, the leadership at Life Action have taken measured, consistent steps towards getting our teams on the road. We brought our three road teams to Camp in mid-July to begin training. Things were looking great! We missed out on two months of recruitment on the road last Spring, yet we have three fully-staffed teams! By midsummer, we had three teams fully booked for the entire Fall!
Then churches started rescheduling and postponing their conferences, leaving huge gaps in our schedules.
Change is the only constant. You never know what you’re gonna get.
In spite of the schedule challenges, we’re finding new opportunities opening up. At the end of September, our team will be helping host a Father/Son retreat. In October, our team will stay on Camp property. This gives us the opportunity to hold conferences at some smaller churches in the Michiana area without them having to shoulder the normal burden hosting of our team.
Unusual challenges provide us the opportunity to look for outside-of-the-box solutions.
Change is the only constant. You never know what you’re gonna get.
When we hit the road next week, we’ll be going to Grenada, MS for our first conference this year. Our team is as ready as they can be, and we know this season is going to look different than what we’re used to – smaller gatherings, masks, distancing… There’s also the elephant in the room – what happens if someone gets sick? These are the kinds of discussions that are taking up a lot of space for our team leaders right now. We’d appreciate your prayers as we try to safely navigate these waters.
Change is the only constant. You never know what you’re gonna get.
Though there’s some truth to what Heraclitus (and Forrest Gump!) says about change, he’s not entirely correct. What this season of change and unpredictability has reaffirmed to us is this: God does not change.
God is our refuge and strength,
Psalm 42:1
a helper who is always found
in times of trouble.
On one hand, I read Scripture like Psalm 42, and I recognize that we haven’t experienced a lot of trouble since COVID-19 came on the scene. We haven’t been unemployed, or sick, or terribly isolated. But I think we still share in the general sense of anxiety and sorrow that defines our cultural moment – fear of sickness, frustration over restrictions, anguish for our brothers and sisters of color, exasperation with governments and politicians, grief over the division and hatred all around.
Trouble seems to be all around us.
When this feels overwhelming – when I read another story about another black man who’s been shot, when I’m losing hope in our society, when my child is yelling hurtful things from the other side of the door, when we’re uncertain what next month, next week, or even tomorrow will look like – I lean on truths like Psalm 42. It doesn’t matter whether our troubles are the size of mountains or molehills, a raging sea or a tempest in a teacup – God remains our refuge and strength, a helper who is always found in times of trouble.
God. Is. Constant.
Key Photo by Emily Morter on Unsplash
The Lee Family 