“Change is coming!” We saw this in a lot of places during the campaign period for the recent elections in Laoag City. It was adopted by one of the candidates for a key position as his rallying motto, which was proven effective because he won.

The prospect of change brings a certain degree of excitement, maybe because it carries with it hope for something better. The month of June marks the ending of a season and the beginning of a new one. It is the end of summer and the beginning of the rainy season. It is also the beginning of a new school year for most students. This June will be the end of the reign of many politicians and the next month of July will be the beginning of service of the winners in the last election. In the city of Laoag and at the provincial level, we hope to see big changes, better economy, better lives for us Ilocanos. This is the season of change.

It’s midyear and we’re halfway done with the year. Mistakes and shortcomings will be a part of the journey but we can rectify them now that it’s not yet too late or we have not strayed too far yet.

I have a patient who had a 360 degrees turn in his lifestyle because of a metabolic syndrome. He gave up his smoking and drinking habits with so much difficulty. It became a slow process of change but it was done because of his discipline. He got into mindful eating, healthier diet instead of diet fabs and unhealthy snacking and started an exercise regimen that became a habit. He took his medications religiously and looks forward to every physician’s visit. And voila! A big change in his weight, his strides became lighter in going about his activities, a more cheerful disposition in life and tries to infect and influence his friends and family members with his changed lifestyle. Most of us dread the idea of having a laboratory check up because from there we can be able to discover what’s wrong with our system.

My weight loss and fitness program doesn’t fit into what I have planned in the first place. Erratic schedule, unhealthy food choices and fast food diet, dampened willpower and curtailed discipline took a backseat and that has caused a big setback. I just hate to admit that I don’t practice what I sometimes advise to my patients. Changes could be drastic, but armed with a positive outlook, we don’t really have to measure outcomes and results instantly. At the other end of the line, taking consistent small steps at a time could bring about good and favorable results.

Throughout all these years, we’ve seen our fair share of changes, whether it be physical, emotional, political, social and spiritual. And that is to be expected because change is inevitable.. All things change in one way or another. However, there is one thing that will never change no matter what: God’s WORD. Even when things change so much for better or for worse, we can count on God’s unchanging promises and His unchanging love to see us through. In a world where things are constantly changing, we can anchor ourselves on God and His steadfast and unchanging promises. So that even if things change so much, we no longer feel uncertain about our future, His WORD will sustain and give us peace.