By Joshua Enderson

Joshua Enderson is the pastor at Hayward and Trondhjem Lutheran churches.

Change is in the air. We see it all around us this time of year. We watch as leaves change from their vibrant and balmy greens of summer to the crisp rusts of fall. The air becomes cooler and drier, signaling the inevitable winter that we all know is on the horizon. Change is all around us.

Change is a part of life. For some, change can be scary and unwelcome — a sign that the world that was known and familiar is disappearing. For others, change is a breath of fresh air in a stale room. Neither of these reactions are wrong, and in our world and in our society we need both voices in order to function.

We currently live in a time of rapid change. New technologies and ways of communication are in their infancy. The foundations of our political system are being shaken, and we are in a great debate over how we are called to live together as “we the people” of this nation. All of these changes leave many of us with our heads spinning, wondering how we got to the place in which we find ourselves.

When we find ourselves in the rapid swirl of change, we all — regardless of our love or unease of change — need to find an anchor in these times. We need something that is unchanging and grounds us. For me, as a person of faith, I always look to Psalm 121 when I feel overwhelmed by the chaos around me.

“I lift my eyes to the hills; from where is my help to come?

My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.” (Psalm 121:1-2)

When we find ourselves in the midst of the crazy changes that life can thrust upon us — like the loss of a loved one, or even just the wild changes we are all experiencing right now, such as the vitriolic political environment that has given us no shortage of disgust — we know God is still at work. The maker of heaven and earth is still with us, walking by our side throughout all that comes our way.

“The Lord will preserve you from all evil and will keep your life.

The Lord will watch over your going out and your coming in,

From this time forth forevermore.” (Psalm 121:7-8)

We must remember that God is with us in the midst of the chaos we go through in life. Regardless of the voices that seem to cry nothing but hatred, despair and division, God is there, reminding us of the depth of God’s love for us. God is calling us not to build walls and impose bans between one another in our fear of change, but to have love for one another and to build tables of understanding. God’s love gives us the courage to go out into the world of change, knowing that God’s love is always there to give us strength for the days ahead.