Embracing Change

One thing that I know for sure: change is constant. It seems that whenever I get a handle on where I am, something happens to move me some place else. Perhaps God is trying to teach me something. Either I am a quick learner, so he keeps teaching me more and more, or I am thick headed and I can't quite get the lesson. It's most likely the latter.

When I was younger, I had to have everything planned out ahead of time. I did not react well when things did not go according to plan. I thought I could control everything. As I grew older, I came to realize there is actually very little that I do control. It has taken a lot of "character building" for me to loosen my grip on control and learn how to react to the unexpected in life.

Sometimes the reason for the change is a heartbreak or disappointment; sometimes it is caused by a transition in life; other times it seemingly happens for no reason at all. But I truly believe there is a master plan. God is involved in all of it and I have learned to lean on Him and trust that he has plans to prosper and not harm me, to give me a hope and a future.

So, I lean in to the change.

Now, when something happens that is outside of my plan, I take a deep breath and step back. I look at the situation and ask myself a few questions:

• What are the immediate effects of this change?
• What are the challenges and what are the opportunities?
• Why did this happen now? 
• What role did I have in it? 
• What could I have done differently?
• What is God trying to teach me or tell me through this?
• How should I respond?
• What are our next steps?

Then, I pray and lift all of these questions and answers up to God. I pray and then I wait. I trust that whatever is ahead of me is better than what is behind me and that there is a purpose in every challenge.

How do you embrace the change in your life?