Change For The Better

Eighty years ago today, the citizens of Enterprise erected what is sometimes referred to as the only monument in the world that is dedicated to an agricultural pest ... otherwise known as the Boll Weevil Monument. It sits right smack in the middle of the road in downtown Enterprise, drawing its share of gawkers and tourists. The story behind the monument is a simple one. The pest known as the boll weevil migrated north from Mexico and found itself in Alabama around 1915. Woohoo! Cotton! The boll weevil was delighted ... and area farmers were devastated. Losing whole crops was disastrous, so area farmers decided to diversify. This diversification was a boon to the area, leading town leaders to decide that a monument needed to be put in place so that everyone would be able to remember that sometimes it takes something bad for people to make a change for the better.

There are as many definitions of change as there are people to define it. The hard thing to comprehend is that sometimes change (good and bad) must happen to put us where we need to be. We need to remember the quote "If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it!" What may seem devastating today will not always seem so debilitating in the future. How we view those stumbling blocks depends on us as individuals, and in some cases, the size of the block. Another hard thing to swallow is that sometimes our idea of change and God's idea of change are not always the same. We don't always, and may never in this life, know why God does what He does. It is not necessarily ours to know right now. Knowing that, and emotionally accepting that, however, are two entirely different things!!

Sometimes its hard to seek God when we have questions. There are times I find myself sounding like a whiny child (I'm relatively certain God thinks so too!) when talking to God. Sometimes God probably says to himself "because I said so Denise, just deal with it." After all, He gives me the tools I need to handle the changes in my life ... even though I sometimes am unable (or unwilling) to see them. He will never leave me, He won't forsake me. He brings change to my life, good and bad, because that is what He determines that I need.

Like those farmers in the early 1900s, sometimes change has to happen to clear the way for future blessings. Even though it might be difficult to accept, befuddling to try and comprehend, or painful to let go, have faith in God. He will not steer us wrong. He's never going to switch the track and cause a collision, He will stand beside us (carry us if necessary) all the way.

God, I ask for clear ears so that I may better hear your direction, clear eyes so that I may see the path you have laid for me, and an open heart so that I may better receive you. Help me to understand, and to help others understand.

"for giving prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the young - let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance -" ~ Proverbs 1:4-5 NIV