{Emma with her family}
From the time I was young, I have disliked change. To me, change meant packing up and leaving everything you knew. Change meant having to meet new people (still a somewhat terrifying thought for me) and making new friends and relationships. Although I can look back and reflect on the good that the changes brought, like being closer with my family and siblings, getting to see new places, and meeting my husband Cuong, it still is not something I find easy. But I know that God is always at work in us and that he gives us situations that teach us to trust him fully.
Big and small changes crop up in my life as I go through different seasons, and that can still bring a sense of panic. What if I am making the wrong choice? What if I am not making the best decisions when it comes to my kids? Even as an adult facing change, I can struggle with fears like, “What if it does not work out like I expect?” “What if people don’t like me?”
What I am continually sensing in these situations is God saying, “Trust me. I know the plans I have for you. Do not fear for I am with you” (Isaiah 41:10, Jeremiah 29:11). Although I’m still growing and haven’t yet arrived, I’m learning to trust that God truly knows what I need. I can rely on him to do what is best for me and my family, even if it doesn’t seem like the right thing in my mind. God sees things in the future that we don’t, and he uses these moments of uncertainty to push us, test us, and train us. It isn’t always easy, but God always does good. If we follow where he leads, we can know peace and joy in the changes, even if they feel uncomfortable.
Recently, our family committed to joining the Coatesville church plant team. This was a difficult decision because it affects so many aspects of our lives. As we considered the opportunity to serve in this way, the usual fears surfaced: Will the kids struggle with leaving their friends? Do we have the capacity for all the extra serving? Will we be able to form meaningful relationships with the others on the team?”
But God met us in our doubts and reminded us that he’s going to be with us in every detail, helping us through. We look at change and see the challenges, but God sees the ways he will work for his glory and our good. We know that if this church plant is what he has for us, he will make it work and bless us in the process.
None of our fears and anxieties regarding change need to be faced alone. We can and should come to God in prayer for everything, no matter how small it might seem. It is so easy to forget this in our day-to-day life and to think our fears are too insignificant to bring to God. But that’s not true. In Philippians 4:6-7, God says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (emphasis mine).
That’s the kind of life I want, and that’s the kind of God I have.
