Change

Everywhere I’ve looked this week, I see the word CHANGE. I think, “How much more change can we take?” I know change is part of life, and you can’t stop it, but we’ve experienced A LOT of change in the last six months—change that we’ve had no control over.

But how much control do we really have when it comes to change? Even positive change that we’re looking forward to can produce stress and uncertainty.

Our everyday lives have been upended since the start of the pandemic. We’ve had to make a lot of adjustments. Our days have slowed down and at times, have been equally long, tiring, overwhelming, anxiety-driven and stress-inducing. Some days, we’ve just gone through the motions without motivation or direction or energy. For many of us, we’ve felt isolated, lost, and lonely. We’ve perhaps experienced many emotions over the course of a day, and it’s been taxing.

Pastor Rick Warren says, “COVID-19 has hit all of us, but we are all in different row boats as we navigate this pandemic.” Life has gone on, but many of us have had to face unprecedented sickness and death, job loss, isolation, depression, and abuse. We’ve had to learn how to cope with unexpected and extensive challenges.

Yet through all of this tumultuous and often tragic change, there also have been blessings. Some of the blessings I’ve seen and experienced:

• The changing of the seasons: spring to summer and now summer to fall.
• The slowing down of our fast-paced world and the extra time to reflect on our lives, our values, our desires, and our future.
• Increased awareness of what’s valuable to us; that the little things in life are often most important and satisfying.
• Managing our time better.
• Connecting with neighbors and looking out for and encouraging one another.
• Enjoying meals with family.
• Learning new ways to connect with others through technology.
• Saving money by staying home more.
• Opportunities to apply lessons we’ve previously learned and to start new ventures.

Gratitude turns what we have into enough, and it can help us navigate the vicissitudes of change. Keeping a journal about what you’ve learned during this time and some of the blessings, no matter how small, that you’ve experienced can lend perspective to our lives right now.

Most of us don’t want our lives to be so unpredictable or uncertain. Yet change happens every day regardless. The question is, how are we going to react to it? I’ve found it helpful to remember that this too shall pass as nothing lasts forever. I’ve also discovered that staying open and teachable helps me better metabolize change: there’s so much to learn about ourselves, about others, and about our environment. Change helps us grow, and some of the limitations about change are the ones we place on ourselves.

As best you can, try to embrace every moment of life—the joys and the sorrows, the celebrations and the challenges. It’s our reactions to these moments, these changes, that help us get through them.

Throughout all the changes that we’ll encounter during our lifetime, one thing we can always depend on is God: He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.

Clarity through the process
Help is available – ASK
Apply what you learn
Nourish yourself
Grow through change
Expect change