Pratt: Change is the one constant
Mornings now, the south sun shines brightly through an upstairs window, prompting me to change from long sleeves to a sleeveless shirt.
Winter is here, and some days I’ll wish for that extra heat even as on this day I must keep cool. One of the more interesting and sometimes aggravating truths about weather is its unpredictability. After all, the only real assurance we have in our weather comes in its timing of constant change.
We, too, are a part of that intricate cycle of life that brings spring, summer, fall and winter. Change is the one constant, whether we are referring to the geography of the land or its people groups around the globe.
Impatient as I was in my teen-age years with my dad’s focus on all things relating to geographic wonders of the planet, I didn’t pause long enough to realize that most of his knowledge came from seeing the world through the eyes of those who wrote about and studied the planet.
Still, some small amount of that wonder he communicated to me along with a deep appreciation for the biblical story of Creation.
He also recognized the inconsistencies of the human heart and mind. I don’t think there was a kinder person when it came to forgiveness. Whatever the situation, he would not indulge in gossip about neighbor or acquaintance.
He always reminded us, “But you don’t know the whole story,” and the conversation ended there.
If there was an envious thought in his mind, I never saw it as he was always happy to hear good news that others were doing well financially and otherwise. All he asked was enough to care for his family.
He did not believe in borrowing money, but in making do with what you had with a grateful heart whatever the weather delivered or failed to deliver. If I were to select a hymn theme that best described him, I think it would be “Trust and Obey, for there’s no other way…”
There’s something about working with and depending on nature for your living that instills a more serious and hopeful attitude about what is truly valuable in life. The more urban we become, it seems the more corruption that is visible throughout our society.
So, it was with interest today that I opened a farm magazine unfamiliar to me that had found its way into our rural mailbox. The first three articles in “Midwest Farm and Livestock Directory" dealt with key issues of our day, teaching children values that will keep them safe, remembering your blessings and the third, finding hope during this stressful time in the worldwide conflicts impossible to avoid in today’s instant news environment.
The first writer, Rodney Pierce, detailed five safety tips such as “respect livestock” and “If you don’t know what something is, don’t mess with it” apply not only on the farm but to the world at large.
The second writer, Ray Bohacz, is filled with such advice as the need to take time away from our cares, and “look at the blessings of being on a farm and chosen by our Lord to steward His creation and to feed His sheep.”
He adds, “I respectfully ask that we all remember the sanctification of our life and chosen profession.”
The third writer, Michael Rosmann, is a clinical psychologist in Pella, Iowa. Noting the tests and trauma in most of the world today, he advises that “Humility is to accept with grace what we don’t want to face,” and gives voice to what he said was taught him by Kermit the Frog, who said, “It’s not easy being green.”
Kermit really meant, Rosmann says, “It’s not easy being me.” Thus Rosmann advises the essential role of prayer along with honesty as a requirement for hope, faith and charity.
Seeing ancient hatreds displayed in our nation’s capital and large cities elsewhere demonstrates the danger of spiritual apathy that threatens not only any hope for peace in the world, but also illustrates our growing spiritual illiteracy.
“For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to right teaching,” the Apostle Paul warns his student, Timothy: “They will reject the truth and follow strange myths,” he adds, advising the young preacher to bear the consequences as he completes his God-given ministry. (I Timothy 4:3 NLT)
Beth Pratt retired as religion editor from the Avalanche-Journal after 25 years. You can email her at beth.pratt@cheerful.com.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Pratt: Change is the one constant
