Greetings from Juniata County.

I, like many of my United Methodist colleagues in the area (not all, but many), have moved to a new appointment. It is not my first move and I doubt it is the first pastoral transition for any of my parishioners.

Change is an inevitability in our lives. But it is still hard — even good change. There is always an aspect of loss and grief, as well as a sense of uncertainty.

Yet, during those times of uncertainty, there are several scriptures that can offer us hope and comfort.

Hebrews 13:8 tells us that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. When everything around us seems to be in a time of transition, there is one thing we can count on remaining constant: Jesus’ presence in our life and His love for us.

Another verse, which is my favorite, is Philippians 1:6: “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

If we didn’t have change in our lives, we wouldn’t grow or develop. God is constantly working in our lives to make us who He is calling us to be, and that is going to require that we go through some changes in life. But if we walk with God, those changes can be used to make us more like Christ.

——

Finding Faith is written by area pastors. This week’s column comes from Pastor Samantha McElwee, formerly of Woolrich Community United Methodist Church.