SEASONS OF CHANGE

Finally, spring is here. The flowers are blooming and the grass is green. It is wonderful to watch all the seasons change. It’s proof that nothing stays the same. Spring turns to summer. Summer to fall. Rich to poor, poor to rich. We all have changes we must adjust to. Some changes we want, others we do not.

However, we shouldn't force change and expect God to bless what we’ve done. We should only make a change based on God's will. Too many times we get tired of our situations and want to do something about it. We aren’t willing to wait for God to remedy things. We want it fixed immediately.

However, one thing to keep in mind is, if it’s not something God wants you to do, it will not be blessed. In order to feel God’s total joy in your life, you must follow him, not the world. Romans 12:2 reads,  Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. We need to live according to God’s word, not the world. Yet, even as Christians, we have a tendency to allow society to sneak in.

Women, as we age, begin to feel old. We get facelifts and breast augmentation just to try to look youthful. But our wrinkles show proof of our lives and hard work. God wants us to glow from the inside out. Showing our love of God should be far more important than our outward appearance.

Some men, as they get older, trade in their wife for a younger model. God doesn't want us to get divorced just because we're tired of our spouse. He wants us to work on our marriages. And younger women eventually end up becoming older women.

I'm not saying you won't get into Heaven if you have plastic surgery or get divorced. But you do lose some of the blessings God has to offer when you do these things based on this world and not on God’s word.

The more we allow God to move in our lives, and the less we take control of the reins, the more joy we will feel. Take a step back from any major decision you have to make and ask, is this my will or God’s. Making Godly choices in our lives can make a difference between living with regret and condemnation and living in joy.

Which would you rather have?

Kathryn J. Bain began writing more than twelve years ago. Her fifth book, Beautiful Imperfection, will be available September 29, 2013. She is the former President of Florida Sisters in Crime and is currently the Public Relations Director for Ancient City Romance Authors. To survive and pay bills, she has been a paralegal for over twenty years and works for an attorney who specializes in elder law. She has two daughters and a dog named Gretchen. Her first grandchild, Hope was born in May, 2013. Kathryn grew up in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. In 1981, she moved to Boise, but it apparently wasn't far enough south, because two years later she headed to Jacksonville, Florida and has lived in the sunshine ever since.