The Winds of Change

One of the facts of life is that it changes. The wind shifts direction, sometimes very subtly. No two waves are ever the same and as they crash into and retreat from the shoreline, they change the structure and shape of the sand beneath. Each day, no matter how mundane and predictable, has some sort of minor shifts and tweaks that make it unique. Each interaction that we have with others cause us to be different in some way.

Change is something that happens all the time. It can be so subtle and slow that we don’t even notice it until we look back a few years later and reflect on what that strip of downtown used to look like, or how our circle of friends used to hang out all the time. Some change is abrupt, like losing a loved one or getting a bad diagnosis from the doctor. Change can be good or bad, depending on your perspective. But change is inevitable. No matter how hard we may fight it, it will always happen.

Change is also a scary thing, and for some people it can be absolutely horrifying. I, of course, am one of the latter. No matter how many times I say that I’m going to order something different at a restaurant, I always end up with the same thing. Regardless of how hard I try to change things in my routine, it seems to just settle back to the same old thing. I struggle with change pretty hard. For me, there’s something very comforting in the same routine, the same sort of “Groundhog Day” life. Not that I want to repeat bad behaviors or things that cause problems in my relationships. Just that I want to get up at 5:30, lay in bed and check the weather and Facebook, have my shower, go to work and have my usual day, come home and have dinner, etc.

As it happens, it’s time for some change and it seems to be sort of hitting all at once in several areas at the same time. Our son recently turned 18. Now it’s time for him to “be an adult”. He’s not the least bit prepared and neither are we. But to be fair, I’m sure that none of us were really ready to be adults when we turned 18. There’s a lot that he needs to learn and certainly a lot of growing up to do, but that will come with time and experience. We just have to remember that he’s no longer our little kiddo, but a legal adult.

His being an adult doesn’t change much. We still will love him and try to teach him along the way. We will try to keep him from making the same mistakes that we did and perhaps get a little further along in life if he doesn’t have to spend the time learning from the consequences of some mistakes that he can avoid. We will still do our best to support him. We will still be his parents, although now it’s time to step back more and let him come to us. We don’t want to see him struggle, but we can’t prevent his struggles through life forever. But we can be there to love and guide.

My wife is looking at reentering the job force after homeschooling our son for a few years. That will be a huge change in her routine and lifestyle. I’m sure it’s both exciting and scary to think about being back at a job after not having to deal with the drama of coworkers. But it’s also exciting to get out and meet some new people and not be stuck talking to just a couple of people on a regular basis.

I’m looking at a career change myself. Somethings have happened recently and I have decided it’s time to leave the career that I have been working on for the past 13 years. I have built a daily routine. I have been doing the same thing for many years. And now, it’s time for change.

It’s scary to say the least. As I said, I struggle with change. But at the same time, it’s crazy to expect anything to be different, if you don’t make a change. I don’t know if I will find a job that is more satisfying, or has a better work/life balance. Perhaps I’ll find a job that will pay well enough to help to ease the financial stress that we’ve had for some time. Maybe it will be a change that brings with it much less stress and I can lighten my heart a little bit and not feel so heavy and run down.

Change is so scary, because it challenges our comfort. Sometime the devil you know is less scary than whatever else could be out there. Sometimes we sit in our pain, because we are worried that it could be much worse if we were to rock the boat and do something different.

But change is going to happen with or without our permission. How smooth it goes can depend on us and how well we roll with the punches. There is pain with change, but often those are growing pains. We can’t become who we are meant to be if we don’t grow. If we just stay a kid in mind and heart, we can never truly achieve what God is calling us to. We have to change to mature, in personality, emotional well being and in our faith as well.

I’m sure that being called to follow Jesus and leaving everything behind was a monumental change for the apostles, but they did so without hesitation. Look at how God transformed their lives!

There were times where they were starving and homeless, but God always provided what they needed. There were times they were hated, but God provided protection. They were jailed, they were persecuted. They had to watch over their shoulders at all times. But without them, where would we be as Christ followers?

When Jesus was arrested and executed, the apostles lives were changed yet again. They thought that they would have Jesus leading the way for the remainder of their lives. They thought that He would be there to do more miracles and bring more people to God. But they were suddenly left here on earth, without the Messiah. Now it was their mission to continue the work of Jesus. To go out and shout His name and praise Him. To go out and show His love to everyone they could.

Change is scary, but it doesn’t have to be a bad thing. It can bring about the shifts in your life that you’ve been asking for, the shifts the lead to a better quality of life. It can redirect your perspective to allow you to see what’s truly important and live in a way that feels more fulfilling. It can cause you to grow in a way that allows you to help others through their change, to help be a guiding light to those stuck in darkness.

As scary as it is, as much as I’ve struggled with it and tried to fight it, it’s time to embrace change. It’s time to stop fighting God because I’m comfortable where I am and accept that what He wants for me is greater than my comfort. Perhaps it will lead me to somewhere that’s even more comfortable and peaceful.

I just have to give it a chance and follow the winds of change to see where they lead.