Change.

We had an incident tonight at our house where a lit candle burned too low, producing a flame probably 6 inches off the candle. Because of that, it created smoke and (thankfully) set off our upstairs smoke detector. We were all sitting at the dinner table and after a split second of hearing the smoke detector going off, we bolted upstairs, remembering there was a lit candle. With a bit of fearlessness, if I do say so myself, the counter was mounted and the candle was blown out. Thankfully, the only casualty was the time it will take to clean up the wax that dripped everywhere. And I do mean everywhere.

With my heart pounding, and my hands shaking, I thought to myself, “wow that could have ended way differently”. What if we hadn’t been home and had forgotten that candle was lit? What if we had let the smoke detector go off thinking it was another false alarm? What if we hadn’t changed the batteries just a month ago? Yes, it could have ended incredibly different.

Later that night, I got to thinking again… why can’t things change on a dime, for the better? Or better yet, why do we expect that when things change suddenly, it is always for the worst? Maybe it’s just me, but I’m not convinced that things can change for the better in an moment’s notice. I got that phone call that said someone ran a stoplight and t-boned my sister going 50 mph. I got that word that said the cancer won. I’ve heard the call where the job was lost for someone I loved. Not good. Stealing, killing, destroying. That can’t be the work of my God…

I will fully admit to you that I don’t get a lot of things. So, this was some sort of revelation. If I truly don’t believe that my circumstances can change in my favor, instantly, I am limiting the God of the universe. I am limiting the God who spoke and then light came into existence. I am limiting the God who breathed and then life was given. And I am limiting the God who died and then lived three days later. Speaking light, breathing life, conquering death – those are feats for a miracle working God. Those are feats for a God who is willing to go to the ends of the earth for my soul.

Who am I to belittle what He has already done and think He will not, or better yet, cannot, move on my behalf?

He’s all knowing, all loving, incredibly sovereign, and a miracle working God. Even for me.