The More Things Change The More They Hide The Same

Last night I dreamt about a place I used to work. I’ve dreamt about going back there so many times and each time is different. But this time was REALLY different. 

I knew exactly where I was even though the whole structure of things were changed. Beautiful things were being built and I felt excited as I walked past each one. The atmosphere was bright and soft and welcoming, but no one knew me. Everyone there flitted around with their busy work and no one even gave me a glance. Not a smile, not a notice whatsoever. 

As I made my way from one end of the building to the other, oddly I had pulled out some of my hair and I was carrying it with me. Along the way I picked up a remnant of the materials they were using to make these changes, and I wrapped my hair around it.

Initially I was enamored by the handiwork that had gone into the beautiful aesthetics. The craftsmanship was exquisite; I expected nothing less. However, my awe was quickly replaced by flabbergast due to the obvious expense it surely took to acquire such incredulous materials. 

Folks I recognized came and went. Some I barely caught a glimpse of as they disappeared behind closed doors or as they melded into groups of other people. 

I just kept moving along.

Seeking an exit, I ended up at a locked door. While stepping into a mushy pile of slime, I turned around to weave through the heaps of rubble and darkness to find an alternate exit. Typical I thought. Keep all the beauty out in the open and hide all the mess behind locks and darkness. 

Meandering through the growing crowd, I felt anxiousness threaten. My step quickened as did my breathing. Surely my eyes grew wider as I began to frantically look for a way out. 

A young man passing me took the hair that I had wound up around a piece of discarded material and walked away. He only said, “Oh, we need this over here.” 

I woke up smelling cinnamon. 

Weird right? 

I also woke up with the intense urge to write “The more things change, the more they HIDE the same.” 

Oh yes. How often do we move things around, do things differently, buy a new outfit, change our hair, paint our homes, move-to make ourselves feel better or try to get out of a “funk”? But before long, the same feelings are there. The loneliness, sadness, unhappiness resurface. Frustrating feelings of failure or discontent return and we’re back where we started before we went and changed all the things…

Things.

T-h-i-n-g-s.

Things don’t bring happiness. They don’t fill spots in our heart that need to be filled. Flowers are beautiful and look so pretty on the table, but they die. They wither, petals fall off and litter the surface of the table and the water turns gunky and starts to smell. Finally the whole arrangement gets thrown away and you’re back where you were with your regular old table. Who can ever fix their hair like the salon does? Do those shoes make us happy when the blister needs to be popped? What about when the credit card bill shows up? 

Every time I dream about that same place I wake up sad. The joy I had when I first walked into the building faded through the years that I worked there because all the changes never made the freshness stick. When the changes happened, people got too wrapped up in them to keep the focus of the purpose the top priority. I’m thankful for the things I learned and am still learning from that time. Today, I want to stress that changing material things aren’t so important as changing what you put in your heart. 

That yearning you have isn’t going to go away unless you put God first. People need to know where your priority lies. What is number one in your life? Is it things? Are things what you want your kids, your family, your friends to see? Or is it the life changing, life saving, eternal happiness that only a relationship with the Lord and Savior can have? 

This morning I woke up happy. That’s a positive change to the normal sadness that dream usually brings. I know I’m growing. God is moving in my life and I don’t have regrets. I know where my number one priority is.

Tomorrow when you wake up I hope you can smile with joy because you know you have that relationship. I’d love for you to open your eyes and say, “Good morning God! What do you have planned for me today?” and be excited to tell someone how happy He’s made you. 

If tomorrow ends up being a challenge, I hope you can go to bed thankful that He carried you through it and know that the next morning can be another chance to enjoy time with Him again. 

Oh, and the cinnamon? Well, have you seen the movie Michael? Maybe my angel smells like cinnamon. I’d like to think so. And I hope I don’t need to explain the hair pulling…

“The more things change, the more they stay the same.” Yeah, sometimes that saying is true and can be good or bad. 

For me, it’s okay that things are changing every day because the most important thing to me stays the same regardless. He never changes. 

Malachi 3:6 “I the Lord does not change…”

Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.