Country Crisp, Bubble Cars and Change

We always eat cereal for breakfast… always choosing from the same four. Nothing changes. We are contented creatures of habit.

Yesterday Rachel returned from the supermarket with ‘Jordans Country Crisp’. We never buy it, we’ve never eaten it – but it was reduced from £3.59 to £0.36. Price changes… purchasing changes… eating habits change.

Yesterday Darren and I were talking about changes that we’ve seen… toys we had as children, cigarette cards, cards in tea packets… We talked about cars… the three-wheeled Robin Reliant… and then bubble cars…

We used to hear the old song ‘Beep Beep’, on the radio: A limousine driver is irritated by a bubble car driver:

The guy must’ve wanted to pass me up
As he kept on tooting his horn
I’ll show him that a limousine is not a car to scorn

What starts as mild annoyance develops into a race, and finishes with the bubble car overtaking the limousine at 120mph.

The small and apparently insignificant, defeats the big and powerful. Expectations and the ‘natural order’ are changed.

Yesterday was the third anniversary of my brother Chris’ funeral. I’ve recently visited two gents whose physical and mental health has deteriorated significantly… Some of us have personal dramatic changes in our lives; others are changed dramatically by changes in those around us. Things never stay the same. Change is unpredictable in its timing, its impact, and its ongoing effects.

Last night, at our church home group, we were reflecting on the changeless, timeless nature of our God in an ever changing world… The verse I knew originally as ‘from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God’ is also translated ‘from “once upon a time” to “kingdom come” – you are God.’

…musing on the old hymn:

O God, our help in ages past,
our hope for years to come,
our shelter from the stormy blast,
and our eternal home:

…praying words from another old hymn

Change and decay in all around I see
O Thou who changest not, abide with me.