Change

Change can be a very frightening and painful experience. It can also be very joyous and exciting. It depends on our mindset when entering into change.

Change usually means the “ending” of one thing and the “beginning” of another and this is why change is mostly bittersweet. Whether the change is voluntary or not, it is important to mourn that which is “ending”. Even if we want the change, we need to acknowledge that our way of life as we know it, is gone and it needs to be mourned. We have left a little piece of ourself, “somewhere”.   Whether that “somewhere” is a job or a home or a relationship, we have now established a “history” with that “somewhere”.
So how do we face the “beginning”?  Fearlessly. God did not give us a spirit of fear. And perhaps, this is why God is unchanging. He knew that in this life, everything changes. He knew that we would feel small and powerless as the tides of life toss us this way and that. He, the unchanging, is our life preserver.  If we cling to Him, we will always have something solid to hold on to.
Courageously. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. God knew we would have fear and courage is leaning on Christ to help us do what we need to do IN SPITE of the fear.  And with faith. Faith that God will guide us. But what if we’re not sure we are where God wants us? Faith. Even when we get lost, God knows where to find us. All we have to do is pray, watch and listen.
Many times we get comfortable in our “ruts”. There is safety to be found in the “daily grind”. But clinging to our routine doesn’t allow one to grow and it doesn’t give us the opportunity to depend and lean on God. We close ourselves to the blessings that God may be wanting to give us.  Many times, I have seen how God has been gently prodding people to become “unstuck” and instead of heeding God’s gentle prodding, they dig their heels in stubbornly and refuse to budge. A rather silly reaction considering God is just a wee bit bigger than we are eh?
Our ruts give us the illusion that we are in control of our lives. Perhaps the changes that come our way in life are simply reminders that we are actually in control of very little. The only thing we can control and will ever be able to control is ourselves. And thats the way it should be seeing as to how most of us have difficulty with even controlling that!  If we acknowledge that God is in control and if we believe God is good, what is there to fear?
Embrace change and trust that God is trying to bless you in ways you never even imagined. We all like to create visions for our life and many times we become so focused on creating that vision that we lose sight of the reality that God is trying to create for us. Trust that God’s reality is far superior to any, tiny human vision we may have.
gently,laura