Having the Wi family here in Toronto was such an amazing time. For me, it was extremely nostalgic. Every place that Adrian & Sherene went, I was reminded of moments that happened over 15 years ago where we shared laughs, tears, and moments with the Lord. Whether it was in the Fireside room where we used to have Overflow, in the sanctuary where I decided to go into the priesthood, or at Redeemer where I had a deep encounter with the Lord, even in my own home where we had a prayer line to send off the Wi family to British Columbia; the new memories we were creating reminded me of the old memories that we already had.
In the midst of this time together, I felt the Lord highlighting aspects of change. I saw tremendous change in Luke, Ethan, and Isaiah. All of them are taller than Adrian, with deep voices. They are no longer children. They have grown, they have changed, and it was good.
Then, I saw Adrian & Sherene and though there had also been change, there were some things that stayed the same. Adrian is still that hyper ball of energy that always says, “does that make sense?”. Sherene is still the super calm and collected woman, the opposite of Adrian. Adrian still has bad jokes and dry feet. But most importantly, Adrian & Sherene still operate out of an overflow of the love of God. They still deeply rely on the power of the Holy Spirit. That has not changed, and that is good.
Change is part of life and change is needed to grow and stretch our faith, love, and hope. Change is necessary and God-guided change is good. As God expands our hearts, we will need to listen well and obey quickly. We will change not for the sake of change, but in obedience to the Lord. We will change as we trust in Him; as He molds, shapes, and guides us to be all that God is calling us to be.
Yet the Lord was also challenging me – some thing should never change. Discerning what needs to change and what should never change can be difficult. There are amazing things that has happened in the LifeSpring family that we need to ask the Lord to sow deep within. When the Lord’s seeds are rooted deeply within, those things will never change.
Here at LifeSpring, operating from a place of presence, of experiencing the Father’s Heart, of genuine love of God and genuine care for others, of real encounters with the Living God; these things should never change.
As we continue our journey of maturity and fruitfulness, I pray that we would have wisdom to know what to let go and what to hold tight. I pray that we will be grateful for the things God wants us to never change, that form the foundation for LifeSpring. It will not just be something we do, but it will simply be part of who we are.
Some things will always change, but some things should never change.