Three Truths to Remember in the Midst of Change
For the wife who has lived with an angry,abusive husband for twenty years, the word "change" is synonymous with hope, but for the mom who has sent her last child off to college, "change" may be really difficult. Some of us living on this constantly changing planet embrace change, even pursue it, but to others, it's a terrifying concept.
One of my closest friends and I joke about how often we change our hairstyles. It's nothing to us to grow it out super long only to have it cut short. I had another friend who had the same hairstyle forever, because without a guarantee that she would love the new look, it was just too risky.
Where are you on the change scale? Do you love it or hate it? Of course, that is a super general question. There are changes that most of us would gladly accept, like a positive change in the weather or knowing that one day skinny jeans will not be considered fashionable for men.
When is change difficult?
Life sometimes creates changes without asking our permission. If you have control issues, this can be a little frustrating. If you have fear issues, this can be terrifying. I'm not just talking about when the male grocery store manager changes the location to the peanut butter (five aisles from the bread). Let's don't even talk about changes to facebook or our health insurance, right? There are some changes that seem to change everything. Losing a job is a tough one. Anger or fear or both can easily take over our life at that point. Maybe you've walked through a similar change? Relocation? Divorce? Losing someone?
How can we deal with unwanted changes in life? Remembering these three truths may help.
1. God is truly in control.
2. God loves us like crazy!
3. Sometimes the change we didn't choose brings about good that we could never imagine.
It all comes down to trust. How much do we trust God and how much are we trying desperately to control? He's got this. We can fight him on the changes that come our way or trust him as he walks through them with us. As we learn to accept the change, we can begin to look to see what God might do in the midst of it. I believe that many of the difficult changes in life grieve the heart of God, but he is the champion of making all things new.