By CLINTON K. POWELL

Special to the South Florida Times

A wise man once said, “The only thing constant in life is change.” That wise man was Greek Philosopher Heraclitus. His insight on life 2,500 years ago regarding change foreshadowed how we as humans should interact with life today; but what does this quote really mean? Life itself is an example of what true change is all about. From conception to death, change is the one true constant that is present in every step of human evolution. However, is change bad? And if so, how should we deal with it?

Some claim that change is good for the soul, while others claim change is inevitable, so why fight it. Then there are those who claim they welcome change, although, when change is right in front of them and challenges their comfort zone, it is no longer welcomed.

Since change is ever present, how should we who consider ourselves Disciples of Christ (the church) deal with change? More specifically, how should Christians deal with difficult change that bombards us day in and day out? Change such as health issues, family dilemmas, career choices, social injustices and political trepidations plague our culture today. The answer is simple to articulate, but quite difficult to execute with a pure heart. To put it plainly, the answer is prayer!

Philippians 4:6-7 says, “6-Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7-Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”

The writer of the letter to the Philippians, Paul, knew a thing or two about change. His entire life was about change, he went from killing Jews for believing in Jesus to proclaiming the name of Jesus at every opportunity he had. He used his story of change to spread the good news of Jesus Christ, but it was built on prayer. As followers of Christ, as long as we are breathing, change will present itself in various forms and at the absolute worst times, but you cannot react in frustration or fear. Instead, react with the action of falling on your knees in prayer.

When change occurs, we don’t welcome, we tend to worry; but Paul says “Don’t worry about anything but pray about everything.” That means there is no change that occurs in your life that you can’t take to God in prayer to receive His peace. In the midst of divorce, there is peace. In the midst of bad health reports, there is peace. In the midst of social unrest, there is peace. In the midst of broken political promises, there is peace. There is no change that occurs in your life that catches God by surprise and can trump the joy of the Lord which is your strength. Yes, not even Trump being elected as President should trump your joy. If you were not ready for that change, then maybe it’s time for you to view life with a different perspective.

We need to learn in life, not only to prepare for change, but to embrace it whether it is perceived as good or bad. We should understand that this life we live is a gift from God himself. As the prophet Job said best, “The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.” (Job 1:21) The key take-away is we should praise the name of God regardless of the nature of the change. When God provides the increase, we thank His name. When God opens the door of opportunity, we bless His name. When God heals our body, we jump and shout for joy because He is a faithful God. We celebrate our God because these are all positive changes we welcome, but where does our praise and prayer disappear to when change is not favorable? The nature of change shouldn’t determine our passion for life or prayer.

As we continue to contemplate the words of Heraclitus, remember there is no change that surprises God and if He brings change your way, He will give you the strength to overcome and He will be there to provide His peace as we live for Christ.

Clinton K. Powell is the Student Pastor at Evangel Church International as well as the founder of Fuzion Ministries AD and Fuzion Promotions. He can be reached at 305-953- 5433 or info.fuzionminad@gmail.com.