"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9).
My husband and I often travel together. As soon as we check into our hotel room I busy myself emptying my suitcase into the hotel furniture.
“What are you doing?” Stuart asks. “We’re only here overnight.”
“I’m just nesting; then I’ll be ready to face the day,” I tell him. Some women struggle with an empty nest; I struggle with a mobile one! Change interrupts my nesting habits, intrudes into my comfort zone. Say the word change, and I freeze. I have learned to live to the full wherever I am—by simply pretending I’ll be there forever. Otherwise I’d never get involved in a new project, or invest myself in someone’s life, or bother to contribute to a group.
Having survived years of frequent change remarkably well, I must admit I have found some benefits. Change can be a tremendous incentive for spiritual growth, Changes bring new life experiences with opportunities to discover and use new personal skills.
Change challenges us. All of us need something to jar us out of our rut—which, someone has said, “is only a coffin with the ends knocked out!”
With change we have a new start, a clean page, and opportunity to try again. That hope renews us. It’s a chance to do it right this time.
Anxiety may be the most difficult aspect of change, but every anxious thought gives an opportunity to trust God in a new way. Change forces us to evaluate our lives. Where have I been, where am I now, and where am I going?
We need to take a positive, “growth” approach to change rather than falling back into negative thought patterns. I have found that nothing wearies me faster than anxiety and the fear of change. In taking the negative approach to change, I work against my own survival. And, you can only be negative for so long before you begin to disintegrate.
Once you have released yourself of certain burdensome expectations you are not intended to carry, you’ll find the energy to accept change and live with it positively.
