CHANGE IS GONNA COME

Death and taxes aren't the only two certainties of life. There's at least one more, and it's a big one--change. A former lover of the comfort zone, I've since learned a lot about change, especially this past year. My life is completely different than it was this time last year.

At first I fought the changes. I questioned them. I even got angry. Why is this happening? It's not fair. I enjoyed my life the way it was, and I planned to spend my future in that comfort zone.

Like the character, Hem, in the book, Who Moved My Cheese, I didn't want my life to change. Hem liked his familiar, safe surroundings. They brought him comfort. But when his cheese supply suddenly disappeared, he became paralyzed and depressed. Instead of going out and looking for new cheese, he waited for his situation to improve. He sat around and hoped his old cheese supply would somehow return.

By now you figured out that cheese is a metaphor for what you want in life. And when the things you want are suddenly taken from you, it can be a difficult adjustment. This was the problem I faced last year when both my health and my job took an unexpected turn. Looking back, I see that questioning the change didn't help. Feeling frustrated didn't help. Complaining didn't help. The only thing that did help was accepting my new situation and looking for ways to adjust.

When I changed my attitude and moved in a new direction, new opportunities came my way. When I stopped wishing for the way things were, I saw the way things could be and what I saw was quite hopeful, maybe even better than the life I had. My eyes opened to the reality that this change I was so angry about could turn out to be a blessing if it led me to something better.

Are you having trouble dealing with change? Are you depressed, angry, confused? I understand. I've been there. So who better to point you in the right direction? First, stop wishing that the change in your life wouldn't have happened. It's done. Focusing on the past keeps you stuck in the past and you miss chances for a better future. Second, get moving toward something new. Don't let fear stop you. You are so much stronger than your fears.

Just go out and explore your options. You don't have to grab the first thing you find. Pray for discernment. God will open a door, but only if you start knocking.  And once you've settled into this new life of yours, and once you realize how much better off you are now compared to before the change, then you can look in the mirror and say, "I'm not afraid of change."

And one last thing, don't get too comfortable with the way things are now. Be on the lookout for signs of change. The comfort zone is not a destination, it's only a rest stop. And you must keep traveling, because there is so much more to see.