We Surrender!

We Surrender!

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Hebrews 13:8

As I grow older, I am trying really hard not to become an old fogy. I want to age gracefully and stay current on things. I do not want to become a grouchy old woman who spends her time criticizing others and complaining about how life is changing.

For the most part, I think I handle newness fairly well. I have an iPhone, a Macintosh laptop, a satellite Internet connection, and WiFi at my house. And I drive a red convertible just to defy creeping age. (It’s my belief that everyone should have a convertible at least once!)

Still, there are some new things that escape me, and I catch myself responding like Scarlett O’Hara in Gone with the Wind: “I’ll think about it tomorrow.” I know I’m not alone in this, because my friends tell me they struggle with some contemporary developments as well.

Twentieth-century American composer Deems Taylor told a similar story about the first Carnegie Hall performance of the modernistic Ballet Mécanique, by George Antheil. The composition might be classified as an extreme of extremes. Among the numbers of unorthodox instruments augmenting the orchestra were ten grand pianos, six xylophones, a player piano, a fire-alarm siren, an airplane propeller, and several automobile Klaxons.

The audience, who had been well mannered up to that point, began to fidget after the start of the music. The general excitement and consternation mounted until finally, after eight minutes of the offending composition, a man in the front row raised a white handkerchief tied to his cane and the entire audience burst into laughter.

When faced with the myriad changes that come along seemingly every day, I, like that man in the front row, sometimes want to raise a white flag and shout, “I surrender!”

I’m so happy that Jesus remains constant in my life. He never changes, and I can count on him always to stay the same. What a relief!

Heavenly Father, thank you for being my Rock, my Fortress, and my Protector. When I’m afraid of the changes life brings, help me to remember that I can always run to you. Amen.