Change

1 Corinthians 15:51-52, “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”
Change is such a harsh word. It is something we all resist. Yet it is something that is vital to our very existence. Without change we would all be without hope or growth.
In nature things change and we call them seasons. In the spring what looks to be dead comes to life and turns from gray to green. Then in the fall as the weather cools and days are shortened the green changes to a palette of color. In our lives we also experience change. We watch as our children change before our eyes as they grow from infant to toddler to teen to adult. We too change as years pass and hair turns from brown to gray, eyes dim from the strain of trials past.
Yes there is nothing more constant than change. When we accept Christ as savior a greater change takes place. We go from being dead in sin to life with the Heavenly Father. We are born into the family of God and old things are done away with and all things are made new. We are a new creature and a child of God. We see with new eyes and sing a new song. There is a newness of life, things have a brighter glow. We go where we have not gone before and we do things that were once alien to us. This change has given us a new friend. One who will never leave us nor forsake us and one we can trust with our most precious possession---our heart and life.
Yes change is coming and changed we will all be. As in nature change must take place. Dead branches must be cut off so new fruit can grow. The best grapes grow from new branches not from old wood. If old dead woos is not removed, if aging and sick limbs are not cast off the whole tree is in danger of dying. While change may be painful at first if done so new life can grow then the pain is of none effect. If change is not allowed and old wood remain the whole vine will wither and new fruit will not grow.
Maybe there are branches that need to be cast off. Maybe there are changes that need to be made. Just maybe God needs to prune the tree so new fruit can grow. After all He is the master husbandman and He knows where the problem branches are and just how to make the needed changes.
Change is needed for growth. Without change there is no growth. Without growth we may as well be dead.