To Fight or Embrace

Change...

"It is not the strongest of the species
that survives, nor the most intelligent,
but the one most responsive to change.”
~ Charles Darwin

It seems that the only constant thing in my life lately is change. (I do get the irony of that statement.) So much change, in so many ways, all at one time! There is some good changes, and some bad, some that came suddenly, and some that crept in gradually. Some of the changes are of a trivial matter and others earthshaking. There have been internal changes (a change of heart) and external changes (job opportunities, people that we meet, etc). Change is going on everywhere!

The problem with change is that often we cannot control what the change will be, how it will manifest itself, when it will come, and where it will happen. Because of this, change in life is difficult. One author wrote, "Change is an inseparable part of human existence, and those who can never reconcile themselves to its reality will find themselves dwelling in a perpetual fantasyland." (David S. King, Dealing Successfully with Change). There are some days that I might prefer the fantasyland to reality!

We all want our times of change to be easier. No matter what our life circumstances may be, as long as we can get by with what we have, we prefer not to change. We prefer to hold on to what we know. It's comfortable there and we know what to expect. There are days when I would be ever so grateful for a day where nothing changed and all went as planned. However, the Lord seems to think I need to be pushed a little more. 

Now I am not adverse to most change, in fact, I am one of those people that likes change. But it is usually change that I am in control of like moving the furniture, painting the house, or cutting my hair. It is when I am pushed out of my comfort zone that the fight begins. The gloves come off and I am ready to duke it out. "You can't make me change" is the motto during these times. Moving beyond my comfort zone is uncomfortable and takes work. Who has the time or energy for change like that? 

With a lifetime of change to look back upon I have learned a few things: change is going to happen whether I want it too or not and sometimes fighting it takes more energy than embracing it. 

Sometimes my stubbornness can get the best of me. This is unfortunate, because it leads me down a path where I have to lose what I have in order to accept the change. Some people have to hit bottom before they grow, change, or get better. I am usually not so opposed to change that I have to lose everything before I embrace it, but the deterioration factor related to change makes not wanting to change a huge barrier to my progression.

It is interesting to me that as human beings our tendencies lead us to more of a fight position instead of an embrace of change. We are reluctant to change even the negative things about our lives sometimes. Think of all the addiction problems that we have in society or the abuse that is rampant. What about all those bad habits that we hold on to? Why are we so adverse to change? It's not like we didn't know that change would happen while we were here on earth. 

The scriptures tell us that when we accept Christ we will undergo a change: "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." (2 Cor 5:17)

Becoming something new requires change. And as a Christian trying to become this new creature change will be an ever present part of our lives: 

"For if ye throughly amend your ways and your doings..." (Jeremiah 7:5) 

"And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." (Romans 12:2)

Amend and transform; two words that scream change! The Lord is always putting us in a position to change for the better; the only thing holding us back is US! That statement brought to mind a ton of questions:

What if being too comfortable is a sign that we need to make a change? What if complacency means that we aren’t thinking big enough or stepping outside of our comfort zone as often as we should be? What if being comfortable means that we are not challenging ourselves to accomplish all that we could accomplish? What if it means we are selling ourselves short?

It's the last question that really got to me because if I am selling myself short, then I am also selling my family short, my community short and most of all the Lord. YIKES! Is this a fair price for my fears and insecurities? I think not.

So what am I going to do to embrace the changes in my life? There are a million websites out there with lists of ways to embrace change, but I want to keep it simple. I don't want to have to remember 10 steps that I should go through to embrace change. Instead I think I want to focus on one thing when it comes to change: How will this change in my life help the Lord's work? 

I like this because it takes the focus off of me and puts it where it should be, on God and His awesome plan! It's not all about me and my comfort zone; it is much bigger and much more important than that. It is about allowing me the opportunity to become someone that God can work through. Allowing me to be a part of His plan in a positive way.

I find myself wondering, "Why was I fighting change?" It's amazing how putting the focus in the right place gives me so much more confidence to face the changes in my life. Well look at that, I think I just had a change of heart!