All Things Change, but One

 Something I've sometimes told people in emotional and suicidal distress is life is not static. It changes and there is just as much of a chance things will improve as opposed to never getting better. Those odds are worth staying around for. It's not a simplistic viewpoint. And it doesn't minimize pain. It's a simple truth. I have self-talked my way through a few tough times with that mindset. When we are going through a series of losses it's difficult to see beyond the wall of pain in front of us. Tragically, some people never give life another chance believing the lie that what they feel now is what they will experience the rest of their lives. 

While the concept of an ever-changing emotional landscape is true, there is another truth that coexists with it. There is a bedrock that cannot be shaken. It is immutable. What's built on it will not fail in any way. Emotional turmoil cannot forestall it. Doubt and fear cannot overcome it. Darkness cannot hide it. This bedrock is the Lord. Scripture says there is no shadow caused by his turning. David called him his Rock. And while rocks in this world erode or shatter, God our Rock doesn't. He is the one constant in life that will be with us in our changing mental and physical conditions. Whether we are on the upside or down, he is there.

I firmly believe life does get better depending on our outlook. I have had journeys through darkness so black I haven't been able to see light. But there is Light and Life in the Lord and in my worst nights of soul turmoil, I know he's been guiding my steps on the path he's laid out for me. I've had suicidal ideations on multiple occasions. Yet, God, my Rock has kept my feet firmly planted while I waited for my emotions to change, which almost always precedes situational improvements. 

When I said I firmly believe life does get better according to our outlook, that doesn't mean conditions will always change. Am I contradicting myself? No. Life isn't static. We can change. Our emotions may be up or down, but God's constancy in recreating us in the image of Christ Jesus means we can always have hope no matter our circumstances. Stories of unbelievable suffering have been handed down through the church and in history studies. The people are all worthy of pity, but some stand out for their faithfulness and lives of purpose in the face of extreme deprivations, loss of loved ones, or horrid living conditions. Their situations persisted, but their inner lives were not static. They were ever-growing, ever transforming, ever believing in a future and a hope. 

 We change either into Christlikeness or into black bitterness. But praise God, our destiny is to be like Jesus. Life is not static.