Rewrite the Script · Grief, loss and hope
What Changed My Life Didn't Change My God
Life can change in a moment, leaving us trying to find our footing in a reality we never expected. But even when everything around us changes, God does not.
Sometimes life changes in a moment. It can be a phone call, a diagnosis, a goodbye, a financial loss, the end of a relationship, or a door closing that you were certain would remain open. Something you were sure would work out suddenly doesn't, and life looks different than it did just moments before.
Other times, the change isn't sudden at all. It's a slow realization that life isn't going to look the way you thought it would. You keep waiting for things to go back to normal until eventually you realize that you're going to have to learn how to live in a new normal.
I've experienced enough change and loss to know that sometimes there really is a before and an after. There was life before this happened, and now there is life after it. Some things happen to us that genuinely change our lives, and pretending otherwise doesn't make us more faithful.
But I'm learning something in the middle of my own changing life that has become an anchor for me:
What changed my life didn't change my God.
He Is Still Who He Was Before
This is what I need to remember on the difficult days. Before the loss, God was faithful, and after the loss, He is still faithful. Before the disappointment, God was good, and after the disappointment, He is still good. Before I knew what was going to happen, God was with me, and after everything changed, He was still there.
Hebrews 13:8 tells us, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."
I find so much comfort in those words because my circumstances don't have the power to change God's character. What happened to me didn't change who He is. What I've lost didn't diminish what He is able to do. The things I don't understand haven't made Him any less trustworthy.
The same is true for you. Whatever has changed in your life, it hasn't changed your God.
It's Okay If You're Still Finding Your Footing
Maybe something has changed your life recently, and you're still trying to figure out how to live in this new version of it. Give yourself some grace. You don't have to have all the answers today, and you don't have to pretend that something doesn't hurt simply because you trust God.
You also don't have to rush yourself through grief, disappointment, uncertainty, or change to prove that you have faith. I think sometimes we have an image of faith that looks like standing on a mountain declaring victory, but I'm learning that faith doesn't always look that way.
Sometimes faith is sitting in the middle of something you never wanted, with tears in your eyes and questions you can't answer, and still being able to say, "God, I still believe You."
There are days when that may be all you have, and that is enough for today.
Look for What Hasn't Changed
When everything around us feels uncertain, it's easy to focus on everything that has changed. We think about what we've lost, what we don't know, and what could happen next. Before long, we're trying to carry today's reality and tomorrow's possibilities at the same time.
I've been learning to ask myself a different question: What hasn't changed?
God hasn't changed. His promises haven't changed. His love for me hasn't changed. His ability to provide hasn't changed. His knowledge of my future hasn't changed, and His presence hasn't changed.
I may not know what comes next, but He does.
That's something I can hold onto when I can't hold onto much else. The God who walked with me before everything changed is the same God walking with me now. I may be experiencing Him from a different place, but I am not experiencing a different God.
You Don't Have to Figure Out Tomorrow
One of the hardest things for me has been wanting answers about what's next. I want to know how everything is going to work out, what I'm supposed to do, and when life is going to feel settled again. I want to see enough of the road ahead to know that everything is going to be okay.
But I'm learning that trying to figure out tomorrow while I'm still living today only makes today's load heavier.
So I've been coming back to a much simpler prayer:
"God, what are we doing today?"
I don't need the plan for six months from now today. I don't need to know everything that will happen next year. I need what God has for me today. I need today's direction, today's provision, today's strength, and today's grace.
Then, when tomorrow comes, God will already be there.
Your Story Didn't End When Your Life Changed
If something has happened that you never imagined you'd have to walk through, I want to encourage you not to judge the rest of your story by the chapter you're living in right now.
You don't know what God is building from here. You don't know who you will become through what you're walking through, and you don't know who you may someday be able to sit beside and genuinely say, "I understand. I've been there too."
There are things I understand today that I couldn't have understood without walking through them myself. I wouldn't have chosen some of these lessons, and I certainly wouldn't have chosen some of the losses that taught them. But I'm beginning to understand that God doesn't waste what we go through.
Maybe that's true for you too.
Something may have changed your life, and you may still be grieving what was while learning how to live with what is. You may have days when your faith feels strong and other days when you wonder how you're going to keep going. You may have absolutely no idea what comes next.
But when everything else feels uncertain, you can hold tightly to what you know.
What changed your life didn't change your God.
The God who was faithful before is faithful now, and the God who is holding you here will still be faithful in whatever comes next.
Start with the main idea: When Grief Comes, Where Will I Let My Mind Live? →
Carole Mendoza
Christian life and business coach, speaker and author · Pooler, Georgia
Carole has coached, taught and spoken alongside people through seasons of growth, transition, leadership and change since 2019. She works one-on-one and with leaders and teams, in English and Spanish.
More about Carole →Carole wrote a book about these questions.
What Happens Next? was written for people who are grieving, questioning, believing or doubting.
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