The other day, I saw this note and it made me smile… but it also got me thinking. There are many types of change – in this note, of course, they are hoping you’ll leave the spare coins from buying a hot drink or ice cream from their stand. But this isn’t the type of change we would be afraid of.

Change is natural, and it is everywhere. Ancient Greek Philosopher Heraclitus famously said “No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man.” The water in the river flows and moves on, and the river experiences changes to its temperature, wind and speed. The man has new thoughts and experiences, as well as physically growing – the human body creates an estimated 40,000 new skin cells each day! The point Heraclitus is making is that nothing in the world is constant.

Change can be scary – fear of the unknown and of new circumstances can be daunting. It’s natural to be nervous when you move to a new house, start a new job, or a new school or university, as we don’t know what to expect. The change leaves us uncertain.

As Christians, though, we don’t have the overwhelming problem that Heraclitus did in that everything always changes, because God doesn’t. God is immortal, ever-present, all-loving and unchanging. He is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). Regardless of the millions of things that change each day on earth, God doesn’t change.

This little note says “if you’re afraid of change, leave it here”, but I don’t think that is the right place to leave it. That cup will change and fade, as with every material thing. But if we leave our fear of change with God – the unchanging one – we know our hope and faith is secure in him. Because if we put our faith in the unchanging one – rather than the whims of the material world – we can have confidence in our decisions. Hebrews 6:19 describes this hope as “an anchor for the soul, firm and secure” – an anchor that wont move in the flowing tides of change. That will stand firm in Heraclitus’s ever changing river.

Personally, I am going through a lot of change at the moment as I have just moved to Bournemouth to start an MA in Creative Writing and Publishing. I am in a new area, and a new house, with new housemates, a new university, and a new church. Many of these changes have been scary for me. But I know that God has called me here; I know that God has a plan for me; I know that God is good, and that he and his promises are unchanging regardless of what is going on around me.

So, if you’re afraid of change… leave it at the cross. Our trust can be secure in the Lord our God because he is our firm foundation, and continues to anchor us even when everything around us is shaken and changing.