There are some personalities who thrive with change.
They’re the type who experience change as if adventure is calling them. They grab that lightweight backpack, pack their essentials, and are ready for anything, anywhere, in two seconds flat. They even have a jump in their step while doing it!
By contrast, I’m the person who braces for impact when change comes. I make all the detailed packing lists and grab TWO large expandable suitcases that max out at their 50 pound limit. I then drag those things on and off public transportation, sweating like a beast, believing it’s worth it because you just never know when you’ll need that extra pair of shoes.
I envy those who grab the bull of change by the horns. They seem so much better equipped to survive this life that is constantly changing.
Over the years, however, I’ve come to terms with how anti-change I am. Although I’d like to describe myself as “go with the flow” I know that’s a far cry from what’s true.
I like routines and schedules. I plan our meals weekly. I prefer the house to be at 74 degrees in summer and 70 degrees in winter. I eat the same breakfast of over-hard eggs and a banana almost every single day. The coffee has to be prepped and ready the night before. When I run, my laces have to be tied just right or I’ll retie them until I get the exact tightness I like. I put lotion on after every time I wash my hands. When I leave the house, using the restroom has to be the literal last thing I do. My phone is placed in the same 3 spots throughout our house. I have one favorite meal at every restaurant we go to and almost never try anything different.
It’s a bit ridiculous.
As you can tell, my personality type is less of the free-spirited one and more of the robot that’s preprogrammed. Just call me R2-D2.
Lately life has been filled with so many unknowns and my head’s been spinning a mile a minute.
So much change. So much new. Where am I? What’s my name again? They’re out of eggs? How can I have breakfast if there are no eggs? Do any other breakfast options exist? I need a minute. Gotta sit down for this one.
And the reality is, in or out of crazy seasons, change is constant and evident. It will always happen to us.
Our bodies show change every single day as we grow older.
Nature continually moves on to its next stage. New buds turn to blooming flowers. Rich green leaves turn into red-brown leaves that then fall to the ground.
Nothing stays the same.
Jobs change, homes change, locations change. Friends come and go. We say hello to new family members and mournfully say goodbye to others. We celebrate birthday after birthday and watch as our age no longer matches how we feel inside.
Change is all around us. Some seasons it’s louder while other seasons it’s quieter.
But it’s always there, reminding us how temporary it all is.
And for those of us who thrive with consistency and order, it can be crippling to experience large magnitudes of change all at once.
These are the seasons that rock you and shoot you high up in the air just to have you fall back down without a parachute.
I can remember a season not too long ago when we lost 4 family members that we deeply loved, while enduring a job change and undergoing a difficult time in our marriage all at the same time. Those were some INTENSE months of change.
I found myself waiting for when “normal” would come again. When would things calm down? It felt like I was holding my breath and waiting for the next shoe to drop. That’s what change began to feel like to me.
I sometimes wonder if God uses all the shaking of our lives to break off everything that’s not permanent. Everything that won’t last.
In hard times it can feel like a massive earthquake just happened. It’s unnerving and terrifying. It seems like everything around you is now broken and in unrecognizable pieces.
But when the dust settles and we stand up, bleary-eyed and confused, there’s always One left standing who has never been shaken.
He is the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. (Revelation 22:13)
He does not change. (Malachi 3:6)
He is the same yesterday and today and forever. (Hebrews 13:8)
With him there is no variation or shadow due to change. (James 1:17)
He is our strength, rock, fortress, deliverer, shield and stronghold. (Psalm 18:1-2)
We can confidently and securely anchor ourselves to God who will never change.
His love for us is never ending and we can take heart among all the chaos this world throws at us knowing He will remain the same.
I may never be the first to willingly embrace change, but I love how it serves as a catalyst to remind us of the One who never changes!
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