Article August 21, 2006 Issue

The place of change in our lives

BY BEA ROEGGE

WHEN MY HUSBAND and I first began studying Christian Science, I misinterpreted a couple of lines from a beloved hymn—but nevertheless found a degree of comfort in the message. The lines were: "In heavenly Love abiding, / No change my heart shall fear" (Anna L. Waring, Christian Science Hymnal, No. 148). I thought the words meant that I didn't have to fear that our situation would never change. At that time so much in our lives needed correction that I was glad to think that "abiding in Love" meant change would happen.

As I began to understand the words better and considered the next two lines of that stanza—"And safe is such confiding, / For nothing changes here"—I gained the deeper meaning of that beautiful hymn, and also began to find the proper place of change in our lives and to see that nothing changes in God's perfect creation.

"I am the Lord, I change not," the Bible states (Mal. 3:6). Though God never changes, we change and grow in our understanding of God and His always-to-be-relied-upon goodness and power. And our growing understanding of God often demands of us a change in what we believe.