“As long as the earth remains, there will be planting and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night.” Genesis 8:22 (NLT)

Change is unavoidable. We all know that—but we often still act surprised when things don’t stay the same.

When change happens, we can complain and grumble, get mad, or blame other people. We may even try to stop the inevitable, as if we have any control. But things on earth never stay the same. In every moment of our lives, there is change, for good or bad.

When God created the earth, this is one of the first things he said: “As long as the earth remains, there will be planting and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night” (Genesis 8:22 NLT). In his perfect design, God made everything on this planet seasonal. Everything is changing, even when we can’t see or feel it. Your family isn’t the same as it used to be. Your job isn’t the same as it used to be. You are not the same as you used to be.

But because God designed it and said it was good, we know that change is for our benefit. Change keeps us from becoming complacent and helps us continue to trust God for the things we cannot understand. When change brings pain into our lives, it makes us depend on him. And change makes spiritual, physical, and emotional growth a natural part of life. Change for the better in your walk with Jesus means you are becoming more like him.

There is no growth without change, no change without loss, no loss without grief, and no grief without pain. A person who wants to grow and be better but not go through the pain of change is like a woman saying, “I want to have a baby, but I don’t want to go through labor.” It isn’t going to happen! To bring new life into the world requires pain. To enjoy every good gift, we sometimes have to experience the painful change required to receive it.

Change will not always be easy, and you might not always understand it. But remember this: Whatever change God requires from you, you can be sure it is for your good.