Same...but different

Yesterday I was looking at my aunt's high school yearbooks. I love yearbooks! I'll look at anyone's yearbook. Ever since I was little I've enjoyed them. They tell such a story!

I love looking at all the hairstyles and fashions that are caught in between those two covers. I love the eyeglasses...the hats or the lack of hats...how stern or how laid back the faculty members look...the team mascots...and I like something else about yearbooks. They are all the same....but different.

I mean, for the most part...generally speaking...no matter if you went to a public school or a private school...a large urban school or a lil' itty bitty country school...no matter if it's 1902 or 2002...the yearbook's contain pretty much the same thing. Students, faculty, organizations, teams. Even the feel of the paper...the index in the back...the ads...each yearbook is the same...but different.

As I looked at the pictures of my aunt, she changed each year. The other students changed each year. Oh, there's always that one person who somehow manages to not look like they've changed on the outside...but you know they've changed on the inside. I had to laugh...because I was looking at a teacher who had also gone to my church as I was growing up...and I wondered how old she actually was...because in a ten year time period (at least!)...she looked EXACTLY the same! Same hairstyle...same sort of clothes...weird.

I had a boss once who had had the same hairstyle the two years I had worked with her. I got my hair cut one day and she commented on how nice it looked and then said yearningly, "I wish I had enough courage to cut my hair."

I remember thinking, 'what a dumb thing! Cut your hair! It'll grow back! What's the big deal?'

I've thought about that comment of hers for a long time. Why someone would be reluctant to get their hair cut...why someone intelligent...someone who logically understood the idea that yes, hair does have the capability (for the most part) of growing back after it's cut...understands that people do it all the time...why someone would make a comment indicating a desire to change their hairstyle and still not do it?

It's really bugged me.

I thought about it as I looked at Mrs. Hill. Mrs. Hill, who looked exactly the same for (at least) ten years. Same hair...same clothes. What was that all about?

In a world that changes in a New York minute...we resist change. Most of us, anyways. We like being comfortable. We like control. We like stability.

On one hand.

On the other, though...there's this desire in us TO change. To live in a 'better' house...to be in 'better' shape....to have a 'better' job. We want change. We want makeovers...just look at television and see how much is being madeover nowadays.

You know something? I think...in their extremes...that both resistance to change and makeovers...are all about control.

"I can't control this [thing, person, condition] in my life right now...so I'll control this! I'll either change this (get a haircut) or I won't change! (keep the same hairstyle for 10 years)

Control. Either way, we're in control. Or at least we believe we are.

So we resist change...or encourage change. Either way, what happens?

Change happens.

With or without your support. It just does.

Just like those yearbooks show kids growing up...and teams winning and losing playoffs...things do not stay the same. They get different.

And we can only control so much.

We're all the same...but different.

We all change.

Everyone except One. He never changes. And thankfully, He's always in control.

Think about that for a moment.

Me? I'm gonna go look at my yearbooks...