Like many, as my husband and I became parents of our son, Andrew, everything changed. For us though, our experience was a little bit different. We met our son as a four-year-old as we got our first placement as Foster Parents. He was scared and uncertain and we were terrified as well (and maybe even more so). We went from just the two of us to parenting a four-year-old in a day.
When I think about this experience, I think about the story of the Disciples. In Matthew 4, Jesus encounters Peter, Andrew, John, and James on the shore of the Sea of Galilee and calls them to follow Him. They drop their nets and follow Him immediately. The disciples understood change. They understood what it meant to go from one way of living to quickly finding themselves in a situation radically different than just the day before.
Change is hard. Change is often even painful because change means that a part of who we were or what we like gets removed or pruned. Over my life as a follower of Jesus, I have seen change all throughout my journey. From changing my major in school, to spending a month in Japan doing ministry with college friends, followed by shifts in jobs, to experiencing the loss of my mom way too early, and now in my time as a foster and adoptive mom, I have experienced the good and hard parts of change.
Following Jesus is all about change. As we move forward in the work of being transformed into the image of Jesus, everything changes. What I know with certainty today is that regardless of my hesitancy or flat-out refusal to change in the moment, once I was on the other side of the change, I know I have experienced the guiding presence of God along the way. My husband often says that we more naturally see the work of God’s guidance in the rear-view mirror. I know this is my truth. I am not always able to see God working in the exact moment of change, but just like Peter, Andrew, James, and John, the change in my life is my first step in truly following and depending on Jesus.
Natalie Smith, Director of Facilities Administration
