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Change and the Unchangable

Writer's picture: DeenaDeena

Updated: Jan 17

Hi friends.


It's been a hot minute.


Or a "cold hour,” if you live in the North East.


The Lord opened the sweetest opportunity to encourage college girls sitting right where I  once sat, My Sweetheart and I re-enacted one of our most romantic college moments, the flu of 2025 swept in, an engagement ring was placed on the finger of the most adorable little red-head, we now have a working dishwasher and one headed back to college.


The college kid gets squashed right there with the dishwasher.


Both of these are really the hand of the Lord.


Each one of these mentioned have a whole backstory but I don’t have enough time or cappuccino to share all the details I would like to, this being the first time I’ve had time to get out once again to write a bit.


Suffice to say that as I picked-up cupcakes from one of my favorite sweet Mom bakers to take out-of-town to thank the jeweler who crafted the engagement ring, I commiserated with my friend about how change is lovely, stupid, frustrating and liberating all at the same time.


Mom’s of many with all kinds of ages and stages find themselves threatening to take away screen time while simultaneously offering your old fridge to your oldest just getting ready to leave the nest.


It’s weird friends.


It’s talks in your room about how “It’s not your favorite thing, but a gift God has given you and He will show up and use it in an amazing way like only He can if for Pete’s sake you will just be willing and step out in faith,”


And wondering who ate the last of the cereal that had their sibling’s name and “Do not eat”scribbled in my own hand on it.


Life these days is about Bible trivia around the table with each of us trying to get to “Bible Gold,” while cracking up at multiple choice answers like “Barbados” when asked who was a traveling partner with the Apostle Paul.


But it’s also about giving extra bids in games of “Black” for those (ahem, Isaac) who cheat and use their watch instead of breaking the “no phone at the table” rule, and watching a brother grab his sister and throw her on the couch for not helping him get his bid after LOOKING at her cards illegally.


We are a bit of a loud mess these days.


I think these silly games and times are our way of dealing with the fact that a week ago we were praying for thousands of dollars so child number three could just finish his Junior year.


We were crying over proposals while hiding in the bushes and crying over the Lord saying, “So it looks like you need me to take one of my cattle on a thousand hills to market for your college bill..” And watching him literally do EXCEEDING ABUNDANTLY above what we could ever think.


And then we were crying again over the Lord moving choice servants to another state for future service that felt a little like having your right arm ripped right off in front of you but for a very good reason. Come to think of it, that is the best way to describe how that felt. 


Then there were also tears for  a card with a thousand dollars in it saying, “I heard you need a new roof. Years ago you helped me replace my roof and the Lord wanted me to send this to you.”


Okay so maybe the tears were mostly mine.


Let’s just say that, if like me, you are just finishing-up reading the book of Job, better days are ahead…..


Is this a good time to remind you to go and buy some waterproof mascara?


Or send me a text (440-263-6623) and I will legit Apple Pay you to go get some.


Merry January.


Loud games and fudge that was  shoved in the back of the freezer and finally found is our way these days of dealing with all of the change that has come and is yet around the corner.


Am I rejoicing a bit too much that I made it to “Bible Gold” while my dearest did not,


Possibly.


But since he hasn’t cried his way through the last month, he can just let me have this one glory.


And honey, who knew Noah is the name of a man AND a woman in the Bible?


Isaiah 41:10 is a balm to me lately. “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.”


In the change is THE Unchangeable.


And each day I either believe him or I do not.


I believe that he IS my God or I don't.


That he WILL strengthen these weak lungs or I don't.


That he WILL help when we cannot help our college kid or I don't,


And that he WILL hold us all in his will of what is right for us and for his glory or I don't.


It's my choice to make.


And just like I reminded my girl, if I step out by faith, risking everything on God, He will meet me there.


When I sat down to meet with you all the screen saver of all of my crew came up and so did the tears.


I have a home filled-to-the-brim with kids who are the joy (and stress) of our home.


Each of them have gifts the Lord has given them and each of them want to lean into those gifts and want to know the giver of them.


How good the Lord is.


So we have change. So we have been sick since the second week in December.


So we have more drugs in our home than a Pastor’s home should probably have.


So we’ve downed several doses of NyQuil.


God is still the author of what’s under our roof and he can either be trusted or he cannot.


Our Christmas landed three of us in the ER.


Maybe your Christmas stunk too.


Maybe you took down the tree and trimmings faster than you dropped your New Year’s resolutions, like I did and shoved them in the deepest darkest place in your garage.


I get it.


I SO get it.


And then you step back and God gives you grateful eyes to glance over the dinner table at your crew and you find yourself thanking him for these lives over chicken soup.


Maybe like me, you have an oldest daughter who comes to the stove just so you can burry your head in her shoulder and sob like a ten-year-old who just got her heart broken.


What a gift!


The same girl you purposely left home from the grocery store because you needed a “kid break,” is your comforter.


She’s also diagnosed every mole and cut and scrape as the home “EMT,” and Abs, I’m sorry but that is a burden you will bear forever.


Change stinks, but in the change and in the arms of the Unchangeable it somehow works out to be better than you could have ever believed.


Job is an example, a very sobering example not only of our own frailty in a sin-cursed world, but also of a God who can be trusted.


Job 42:5 has opened my eyes to trials. Job says, "I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee."


How often we hear sermons and read in the Bible of those who are struggling, of other's depending on the Lord and it means something.


We hear it.


And then whooping cough comes, a financial set-back, a heart-break, a ministry hurt and we not just hear ABOUT the Lord but we then seek him and SEE him for ourselves.


And it has the same effect on us that it did on Job.


We abhor ourselves- we pursue holiness and repent of what we think we know is best.


We reach out and hold the hand of Him who loves us more than we could ever imagine, rest in is eternal plan, his purposes for our growth and his understanding of this frail life,


And we keep eating fudge while reaching for "Bible Gold."


Be blessed friends.




I mean, can you even??! (Now accepting courtship applications...... :-)






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