I’ve experienced a lot of change in my life. I guess you could say I got used to it, even though I think you can never completely get used to change. Growing up in a military home, change became expected. It was expected that we would pick up and move to a new state every few years. It certainly made for an interesting childhood! New friends, new church, new normal…pretty much new everything!
I remember feeling the urgency to find things that stayed the same. My family. My family stayed the same. That was safe. My school stayed the same. I was homeschooled! A small glimmer of familiarity made it all easier.
Fast forward ten years and here I sit in a coffee shop in Mae Sai, Thailand, amazed at all the change that’s taken place in just a few weeks. Closing up house, essentially, and opening a new one in a foreign land. Oh, the changes!
– A new language. Oy…so thankful for American friends who speak Thai so well!
– A new home. Keeping a home here is just…different. Unless you are used to only hanging your laundry out to dry and only cooking with a stovetop and toaster oven. (Although I have to say that I’m pretty much in love with my new toaster oven here!)
– A new culture. What does it mean when a Thai person responds certain ways? How can I be sure not to offend the people around me? So many things to consider.
What I cling to today are the things that stay the same, no matter the changes that come in my life:
– My God. My God is the same here in Thailand as in the USA. It’s amazing to think about how He watches over me and cares about all my needs, big and little. I am His child and my relationship with Him must be growing here just as it needs to when I’m home. Hebrews 13:8, “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.”
– My family. What an incredible responsibility! Child training continues here just the same as it does at home. 🙂 Ministering to my husband must be made a priority here as well.
Change: to make the form, nature, content, future course, etc., of (something) different from what it is or from what it would be if left alone.
I love this definition of change. The last part I find especially interesting. If I am left alone, with no changes in my life, I won’t grow the same way. Change can be HARD sometimes! I can say for myself that it is way too easy to get comfortable in my way of life and to be content to keep doing the same thing; to be “left alone.” But God wants more for me than where I am right now. He wants to refine me and grow me. So He brings changes into my life to push me that direction. While some changes may be harder than others, I can rest in God’s promise to refine me to His liking so that He can better use me. And that, my friend, makes every change worth it.
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.Ecclesiastes 3:1
Serving the Lord in the country of Thailand, Alyssa is the wife of missionary Benjamin Hall and mom to five young kids. Each day seems to bring new adventures as she studies the Thai language, homeschools, and ministers to the many little hands that reach for hers. Of course, music is almost always part of the day, whether by listening, singing, or playing and it now echoes through the voices of little ones. Read Alyssa’s salvation testimony here.