Back in 2008 two men were running for mayor in a small Romanian village. The incumbent, one of the two candidates, died suddenly. It was too late to reprint the ballots or call off the election, so it proceeded. Despite his death, the incumbent was re-elected. “I know he died,” one villager told reporters, “but I don’t want change.”
What is familiar is comforting. In a world with so much change, sticking with the familiar is safe and easy. What if I can’t manage in the new situation? What if I’m no longer valued?
Trust that change will not destroy you. And know that one thing will never change: God’s love for us all.
Today is the third Sunday of Advent. We remember Lucy, martyr (304). This message was adapted from “Embrace Change” written by Linda Post Bushkofsky that first appeared in the June 2011 issue of Lutheran Woman Today (now Gather) magazine. If you are reading “Daily Grace” online, sign up to receive it by email daily.