Births & Deaths Change Everything

Today I changed the church sign and posted on one side "A Birth & A Death Changed Everything". I realized after putting it up, that while I feel it displays a Christmas type message and an Easter one for that matter, it is one of the truest statements in life that there may be. While Jesus was born solely to die for the sins of mankind, every birth and every death has an effect on those around them. They really do change everything for those whose lives are involved. 

Think about how much change comes to parents when a baby is born. Their sleep patterns change, their intimacy patterns change, their priorities change (hopefully!), their daily schedules change, heck, even their showering patterns change! lol Life as they once knew it has changed for a long period of time. Maybe the above mentioned things aren't changed forever but certainly their hearts are no longer fully their own. Once a parent, always a parent even if the time has passed of changing diapers, feedings, and training. Even when you become an empty-nester, you still tend to be there for your child. 

It is the same with death. When someone we love dies, our lives are forever changed. Depending on who it was and how close we were to them, even daily schedules may be different. We learn to go on, we learn to cope, we get back to the daily living of our lives fully aware to us but usually unaware to others around us that something is missing. Something is different. There are days we wonder what life would be like if so and so hadn't passed away when they did. We wonder how different things would be if our loved one was still alive. 

As I have expressed before in past blog posts, I have had many experiences with loss through death that forever changed the course of my life. Some things that would be different are obvious to me now, but others are still a mystery. Things can't be changed. Decisions were made and events have shaped who I am today. 

Some people don't get the privilege of experiencing a life change through a birth. Many live way into adulthood before ever experiencing change from a death. Interesting how some learn things at a young age and God allows others to wait until later in life for those learning moments. 

Whether we like it or not, births and deaths bring new norms to our lives. We must face those challenges and keep moving forward - adapt, adjust, improvise, overcome.