Change

Recently, I have been reflecting on change. My husband retired in March. Although I knew his retirement was imminent, its actual arrival has made me off-kilter. He chose to make this change. Being older than me and working many hard years in sales, I know this change made sense. Its indirect effect on my life, however, is something I am still trying to balance out.

Change is a part of life whether we like it or not. Sometimes we initiate the change but most of the time, change forces itself upon us. Even when we directly are responsible for the change, adapting to it takes time.

Change is Hard

With change comes the unknown. We have an idea of what our life could look like but we do not have the full picture. I believe it is the unknown that makes change hard for a lot of us. The unknown is exciting on one hand and scary on the other.

The possibility of starting anew, growing in a new way or doing something new brings us excitement for the opportunities that await us. Not knowing exactly what the future looks like causes us anxiety. Our minds replace the joy of the “knowns” with fear and projections of the unknown. Change interrupts our comfortable rhythm of life.

Without change, we would become stagnate, never really reaching our life’s potential. Change forces us to grow, to be adaptable.

I am not a big fan of change. It is hard for me. When I initiate the change, I experience some level of discomfort but I am OK with that, knowing the change is for my good. When I cannot control change, I tell people: “It takes me a minute to get used to change, but I’ll get there, eventually.”

A saying I heard that captures change goes like this: “Change is inevitable, growth is optional.” As humans, we have the choice to embrace change, adapt and then grow because of it. Or, we can choose to resist change, stay set in our ways, possibly becoming resentful and bitter in the process.

Seek God’s direction

Are you at a crossroads in life? Do you feel like something needs to change but you do not know what? Do you know what needs to change but you are too afraid to move forward? Is change happening at a rapid pace in your life and you are not sure how to handle it?

I would like to encourage you to bring God into your situation. Whether you believe in Him or not, He created you, loves you and knows what is going on in your life as well as inside you. Give Him your concerns. Ask Him for direction. Being above all and full of power and knowledge, He is present, ready to listen, help, guide and walk alongside you.

Prayer

Lord, make my ears attentive to your wisdom and incline my heart to understanding. I cast all my anxiety on you because I know you care for me. Fill me with your peace as you help me to adapt and embrace change. For you state in your Word: “I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Proverbs 2:2, 1Peter 5:7, Jeremiah 29:11).