can you change the unchangeable please?

"Hello. I wonder if you could help me, please? i need to change something that is impossible to change."

That is, in essence, what a phone call i received at work said, just in different words.

The phone call went more like this.

"Hi, I wonder if you can help me. I am looking for a new doctor. My current doctor said my baby is due very early January. I will need to have a Cesarean Section. The doctor says the Cesarean section will be scheduled for end of December. This is inconvenient for me as I have a family event at that same time. Can I come see your Doctor and maybe your Doctor can make my due date later?"

I ask how many weeks pregnant the caller is. They tell me the exact amount of weeks pregnant, i grab my trusty wheel that helps me calculate due dates. It is the same as the current doctor is saying.I politely ask if the due date is confirmed by bloods and scans.

"Yes it is confirmed. but you don't understand i planned this pregnancy down to the day, before I conceived and now i don't like the due date i have."

i calmly explain that we can't change a due date, in fact baby could come earlier or later, they are a little unpredictable despite due dates.

"Yes, i know because my last two children were both two weeks earlier than their due date. But i really am hoping your doctor will make me less pregnant now, and be able to make my due date for later in January."

.... true story.  This pregnant woman's due date clashes with a family social event, and now she wants to rearrange it, but in this situation their isn't a way to change how far pregnant she is, not in the way she is wanting.

Some things in life are unchangeable.  I think we, as human's often spend a lot of energy fighting the unchangeable. [of course, nothing is impossible in God, we all know that] Sometimes we don't like where God has placed us. It seems unchangeable because besides being stuck in it, the other option is rebellion and that is not a place most of us want to go. So instead we exhaust ourselves complaining and negotiating. A bit like the Israelite in the desert. I have done it on more occasions than I can count. I knew I was called to Albania, but on the hard days i complained because that is where i was "stuck" and it seemed like it couldn't change.

In fact before Albania i knew God called me to finish Bible college. I spent a lot of my time during my first two months in college, in a bathroom stall in tears because i didn't want to be there but i knew i had to be there. Eventually I found that place of surrender and made peace with it, and it took me further than my wildest dreams knew possible, by the hand of God, of course.

Even being back home, there are numerous days i am not happy with it but know its where i am meant to be. I think we can all learn today, that we need to accept somethings as unchangeable [if they are the will of God] and make peace with being in that place.

A bit like the Serenity prayer which begins. . .
"God, grant me the serenity to ACCEPT the things I can not change, courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference."
amen!