the more things change...

...the more they stay the same. Ever heard that phrase? What does it even mean?

When I went home a few weeks ago for my grandmother's funeral, I obviously got to see some of my family and family friends that I haven't seen in several years. It was amazing. Some of them looked exactly the same (insert name: Dennis Heinen). However, others had changed so much that I no longer recognized them.

Most notably were some of my cousins' kids. These are kids that I remember holding as infants and watching them grow. Yet, they are now in middle and high school. It's one of those, "I can't believe this," moments. I didn't think about this too much, as there were obviously other things to occupy my mind. But I have reflected on it somewhat the past few days. The more things change, the more they stay the same? I don't think so.

Each time I return home and have some of those experiences, I believe this phrase less and less. Things change drastically. Life changes. Relationships change. People change. And praise God for that. We are constantly called to be transformed into the likeness of Christ. This inherently necessitates change.

I also thought about how much more shocking the change appears to me, someone who hasn't lived at home for years and who sees some of my family only once, or less, a year as compared to others who live there and see one another much more frequently. To them, the progression seems natural. It is expected. When you see someone regularly, you don't even think about how much the other person has changed because it happens right in front of your eyes on a daily basis. This doesn't mean the change is any less drastic. However, it doesn't appear to be anything but normal.

Granted, the most notable surprises to me were some of the kids and teenagers and how much they have changed. And those differences encompass both their physical form and their personalities.

I also realize that my shock is not only due to how people have grown, but it is also due to how I have changed. My perspective changes and thus I will naturally see people a bit differently than I had before.

How does this work between us and God? Has it been so long since you've seen God that when you meet Him again you are amazed at how different your relationship is than the last time you remembered it? Or do you not even realize how much has changed over the years because it has happened right in front of your eyes on a daily basis?

Do you "live at home" with God and see the natural progression of your faith and the faith of those around you develop through time? Or does it require you "going home" on that special occasion to realize how much time has passed since you last saw or knew Him? While I know that I am where I am supposed to be right now, living in Kentucky and going to seminary, it is hard for me to go home because I realize how much life has taken place during my absence. The nephews and niece are completely different. Family members are so different than what I remember. Yet, to everyone else there who see each other regularly, everything seems normal.

As difficult as that is for me, I know I can live with it and hope that my family can as well. However, I hope that never happens between me and the Lord. Nor between my family and the Lord. Nor between you and the Lord.

How much have I changed? When someone sees me, do they find the same person they last knew a few years ago? Or do they find someone who has matured, grown, and been transformed more and more into Christlikeness?

What about you? How much have you changed?

May you be able to say, "The more things change, the more we look like Jesus."