Change happens, have faith and look forward

Change, it seems, affects us all.

From songs that melodically confront change, to memes on our favorite social media platforms, change is inevitable. Some of us love change, we love the way the seasons change, the turning of the calendar, the shift in clothing choices.

We might consider ourselves change agents, early adaptors. We are the people who rearrange our furniture, reorganize cabinets and change our landscaping on a regular basis.

For others, we might consider ourselves change adverse. We simply cannot make change, or should I say, we can’t do it quickly. We like predictability, consistency and we value stability. Regardless of how well we adapt to change, the fact remains that when things shift, it causes a disruption.

Whet-her you are part of society who embraces change or you are opposed, the fact is life is full of change. From the moment we are born we begin to change. Sometimes change is forced upon us —health issues, seasonal changes, family dynamics, marital status and even age. We cannot control these changes.

Other times we create change. It may be through our choices, our life situations or intentional actions.

For example, we desire a change to our work life, therefore, we apply and then accept a new job with different expectations, hours and location.

Even when we want things to be different, it is sometimes hard. Experts say to make a change one must have a desire to change, have some thought about the change, make a plan or create steps to change, and contemplate the resistance that may come because of the change.

So how do we lean into change? As a pastor and an early adaptor to change, answering this question always brings me to the Biblical Scriptures. What does my guiding principle say about change?

First, the Bible is filled with people who experience life change. From Adam and Eve and their significant change of being in and then thrown out of the Garden of Eden, to Mary the mother of Jesus who had to rethink her life trajectory.

The Bible talks about change in Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8. It speaks about there being a time for everything. And then we find Isaiah 43: 18-19a “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?”

August and September in our community brings about lots of change. From children going back to school and young adults returning to college; to the shift back to life after summer vacations. Change happens with the cooling of the evening air, to the decrease in humidity. Commercials remind us of all the things to come, “Pumpkin Spice” everything, Thanksgiving turkeys and the magic of Christmas.

For those who are change adverse, it is hard to shift during these in between times. The time from when the change happens to when we are finally comfortable, stable, and secure with the change. The scripture reminds us to let go of what was and lean into what is to be — a reminder of God’s presence in our lives in the midst of every change. And we are not alone, change happens to everyone, and we are in this together.

As you navigate through the seasons of change, controlled or uncontrolled, I pray you lean into faith. Accepting change is part of life, and in order to be more comfortable, we must trust, have faith and look forward.