Change

"I am the Lord, I change not". Malachi 3:6

Standing in the "family photo hall", it was fun showing the kids pictures of their mom when she was a teenager. I asked them to guess at who some of the others were, aunts and uncles, cousins. I showed them my grandma in her first bathing suit (a long one-piece, of wool) and my mom driving her first car (a Model-T). They were intently trying to put all of this together, when we came to what looks like another old-timey photograph. I've always loved this picture of Ben and me, taken not long after we were married at the county fairgrounds. It was at a booth where they provide the costumes of your choice.

The five-year-old was excited because he knew that he knew who that was. He planted his feet firmly, and with great confidence, stated, "It's George Washington!"

I laughed so hard I almost fell over. Then I realized of course they had never seen their grandpa when his hair was brown, and he'd changed. Oh boy, have we changed. Looking through the hall montage renewed that reality! I laughed again, thinking, "No wonder they don't recognize who these people are in earlier photos!"

Later I was telling my husband about it, and I got to thinking, change is part of life. Everything and everyone is continually and constantly changing in some way.

Except God, and His unchanging Word. He is the only constant, consistent, un-changing holy One.

In the first chapter of James, the Word says, "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."

Thomas Chisholm, who penned the words for the wonderful hymn, Great is Thy Faithfulness *, was born in a log cabin in Kentucky. The song "was simply the result of the author's morning by morning realization of God's personal faithfulness".

Great is Thy faithfulness, oh God, my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee.
Thou changest not, Thy compassions they fail not.
As Thou has been, Thou forever will be.

"He is the living God, and he will endure forever." (Daniel 6:26).

Yes, there is no turning, no changing with the Lord God. He is always the same, yesterday, today, and forever. (Hebrews 13:8)

That is good news.

*Great is Thy Faithfulness, Thomas O. Chisholm and William M. Runyan, ©1923 Hope Publishing Co.

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Sally I. Kennedy is a songwriter and author of Irish Thursdays: More Little Parables, Words from the Heart, and 52 Little Parables from Ireland. She lives in south Florida, with her husband Ben. Please visit her website, at sallyikennedy.com, or email Sally at, sallyikennedy@bellsouth.net