Dealing With Change

Jos 1:3 Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, I have given that to you, as I said to Moses. 4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon even to the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your border. 5 No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not fail you nor forsake you. 6 Be strong and of good courage. For you shall divide for an inheritance to this people, the land which I swore to their fathers, to give it to them. 7 Only be strong and very courageous so that you may be careful to do according to all the Law which My servant Moses commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may act wisely wherever you go.

Are you experiencing pain or feelings of lack in your life due to something that has caused emotional or financial changes or perhaps a broken or dysfunctional relationship or illness? Perhaps you have changed jobs recently or lost a job?

Someone once said “The only constant is change…”

We all have to deal with change throughout our lives. Sometimes the change is predictable, but sometimes unpredictable change happens, which throws us totally off-balance. Caro Handley said that there are four types of change we can expect to face at some point in our lives:

Change we expect and want (like a new job) Change we expect but don't want (like having major surgery) Change we don't expect but want (like winning the sweepstakes) Change we don't expect and don't want (like sudden illness or death)

Jos 1:8 This book of the Law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate on it by day and by night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall act wisely. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage. Do not be afraid, neither be dismayed. For Jehovah your God is with you in all places where you go.

Change, no matter how good it is, means loss. When something in your life changes you lose the old way of being or the old set of circumstances. And loss means grief and nostalgia.

Resist and be rigid in the face of change and it will be a lot more painful. The secret is to be flexible and you can ride it out more easily. Think of yourself like a boat in a storm. Turn against the waves and they’ll crush you, go with them and they’ll carry you home.

Don’t try to cope alone or keep your feelings to yourself. Talk about it, have a hug, a laugh, a cup of tea and a bit of reassurance. Being brave doesn’t always mean managing alone. It may mean finding the courage to ask for help.

Some changes feel awful – death, illness, financial loss and many others can feel like the end of the world. Sometimes you have to look very hard to find the blessing in such changes, but there always is one. It’s through change that we grow wiser and stronger and learn to make better decisions.

Rom 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through Him we also have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice on the hope of the glory of God.

All change comes to an end when the new circumstances are in place and become familiar to you. Every change, no matter how big, will end and you’ll return to a feeling of normality. Keep this in mind when you feel as though you’re in the middle of a bumpy ride.

Rom 5:3 And not only this, but we glory in afflictions also, knowing that afflictions work out patience, 4 and patience works out experience, and experience works out hope.