Today it snowed. With the lack of coverage on the news, I’m sure that is a big surprise for you. But it’s true. It snowed. Now, snowdays always make me think back to when I was younger and my sisters were home. Let me just share a quick memory with you.
It was back in the bilzzard of 1993. (I’m not being sarcastic. We did actually have a blizzard in 93 with a week of power outages and everything.) 1993…that would make me 6, Amy 9, and Jennifer, 11. We wanted to go sledding somewhere different (we usually went on the street behind us) so my dad took us to the high school. There was this massive hill we wanted to go down. I mean it was pretty steep. The only drawback? Woods at the bottom. That you could run into. At a high speed. And potentially kill yourself. Well guess who got scared. My two older sisters. Guess who was too young to see what was coming. Me.
“Oh Katie, you’re the lightest so you go first to check it out.” (I was often the guinea pig for my sisters’ schemes.) Well lucky for them I still hadn’t learned they were using me so I went skipping off to the edge of the hill, wait, no, moutain. With possible limb dismemberment waiting at the bottom for me. Along with my dad a safe distance in front of the woods to catch me should anything go wrong. And away I went. My dad was getting closer (or I was to him it turned out). Annnnd there my dad went. I couldn’t stop. Heading straight for the woods. Somehow my dad caught me before I did any major damage.
After we decided I was fine, we proceeded to find a smaller hill with no danger lurking at the bottom.
But anyway, snow reminds me of memories like those. Well not all of them are so dangerous and feature-film worthy. But I did wonder how I let my sisters talk me into going first. Then I remembered how I thought back then. Quite amusing (to me anyway) but here are a few examples.
Then: 20 is old
When I was a kid, I thought 20 was old. I used to threaten my sisters when they played obnoxiously loud music that they would be deaf by the time they were 20. Then they turned 20 and could, you guessed it, still hear just fine. When I turned 20, it really didn’t seem so old any more. Maybe part of it is due to the fact that everyone thinks I’m a teenager because I look so young. Since graduating college, if I had gotten a $1 for every time someone asked me when I would graduate high school, I’m pretty sure that would have paid for my entire under graduate degree.
Now: I no longer think 20 is old
Then: Family by 25
But like I said, I used to think 20 was old and so I naturally assumed by 25, I would be married and starting a family if I hadn’t already. Considering I’m single and will be celebrating my 25th (and 26th) birthday in Albania, I’m pretty sure that’s out.
Now: I’m in absolutely no hurry
Then: Be a teacher
That’s right. I used to want to be a teacher. (Both my parents are teachers for those who don’t know, and now both my sisters are teachers) Then I got my first camera. Then I saw the downward spiral of the respect kids have for teachers (most have little to none that most kids show today) and realized I lacked the patience to work in the public education system for 30 years. Summers are great, but not that great.
Now: Be a commercial photographer
Isn’t it crazy how our thinking changes? Well at least mine changes? How we process and catalogue things as children isn’t how we do it now. The way we view the world and how the world works is so much nicer as a child. So many things can change. So many things do change. But one thing that never changes is God. And everything about Him.
Just think if God did change. Let’s use human years because I can understand that. So it took me just a few years to change my opinions/views/thinking on a lot of things. What if every few years, God changed what he thought? That would be kinda scary. Actually it’d be really scary. Jesus died for us yes. But then God decided well maybe those heathens didn’t deserve it (which we never did by the way). Well that wouldn’t be good. Or what if He decided He didn’t want to be patient with us any more. Yikes! Well, thankfully, we don’t need to worry about God changing how He works because he reminds us throughout scripture that even though everything around us (even ourselves) changes, who He is, what He says, the way He works doesn’t change.
The grass withers, the flowers fade, but the word of our God remains forever.
–Isaiah 40:8I know that all God does will last forever; there is no adding to it or taking from it. God works so that people will be in awe of him.
–Ecclesiastes 3:14Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
–Hebrews 13:8
Ok these are just a few. You get the point. God Himself never changes (because He’s already perfect). How He works never changes. The love He freely gives, the promises He makes, the encouragement He shares. It will never change. Nothing about God will EVER change! And in a world where nothing stays the same for long, that is nice to know!