Change is Good. Right?

I have a love/hate relationship with change. On the one hand, I can get bored when things are stagnate, so I want to see things in my life change up. On the other hand, there are elements of my life that I like just as they are, so a change in those areas threatens my happy place. Whatever, my feeling may be, change happens. It keeps happening. It will always happen.

Some changes we make ourselves, while others are made for us. Some happen directly to us, while others happen near or around us. All change impacts us in some way, shape or form. As I think about the last five years of my life, the list of changes I've encountered is long: marriage, motherhood, career shift, best friend moving away, sister moving closer, canceling cable TV, signing up for Nerflix. Okay, all the changes aren't monumental, but all have impacted some aspect of my life or another. 

Navigating through change successfully is all about learning to have the right attitude in the midst of it.  I don't believe God expects us to like every change in our life, but I know He expects us to respond well to every change. When we respond to change with hopelessness, bitterness, or sin, we fail to show the world that our foundation is Jesus Christ. It is imperative to remember that our response to change will either bring God glory or fail to reflect Christ. 

I'm not saying you will never experience fear or anger or sadness in the midst of change. That is going to happen. My question is, what actions do you allow to accompany those feelings?  Do you lash out in anger? Do you curse God in grief?  Do you return to sinful behavior out of fear? You don't have to be a robot, but your actions should flow from your faith, not your feelings. 

The best way to be prepared for change is to be in close relationship to Christ. Proximity is everything. Talking to God daily by praying and reading the Bible will put you in the right position when change arrives. Too often, we let the steady times in our lives lull us into complacency and stop connecting to God, or we allow the business of our daily lives squeeze out our God time.  I've been just as guilty of this as you have, believe me, and because I have, I know how detrimental it is to my peace of mind when change arrives, to have fallen off my game.   I can attest that daily time with the Savior has prepared me for changes that I didn't even know were coming, whether it was a verse that days later took on new meaning, or a sense  during my prayer time that something was right around the corner.  I can also attest to the whiplash effect change has had in my life when I was not in daily contact with God.  I found myself scrambling and having a poor initial reaction to the change in front of me.

As believers, we all want to please the Lord.  We all want to represent Christ well.  We all want to be evidence of His grace and mercy to others.  When we face change, we can do all of these things and do them well, so long as we remember who God is, how very much He loves us, and the fact that He is in complete control.  Here are some tips on handling change: 

1. If you've been out of the Word, GET BACK IN! - Now, is definitely the time to restart your daily interaction with God. You can't hear from Him if you're not reading the words He's given you in the Bible! 
2. Focus on hope instead of despair - Have an attitude that shows you trust God has His best for you, not an attitude that looks like you're giving up.
3. Smile instead of frown- Your countenance (facial expression/body language) communicate more than you think, and I find that when I focus on smiling during change, I tend to have a more positive outlook.  I know it sounds simple, but it really does matter!
4. Talk about the good stuff instead of the bad stuff - Your words are more powerful than you know. Let others (and yourself) hear the good possibilities with the change, not just the bad. 
5. Work off your anger - The change you're facing may be upsetting, but you don't want that anger to lead you to sin, so work it off.  Run it out if that works for you, punch a pillow if that's your thing, do some angry cleaning (one of my favorites).  Find a physical, harmless way to process through that anger so you can get to the hope and positive attitude that much faster! 
6. Avoid temptation - Fear and anger can leave you vulnerable to sinful habits that fool you with temporary and false feelings of relief.  You know your weak areas - guard them carefully in this season. 

Here are some of my favorite verses to revisit when I face change:

• Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.   Matthew 6:34
• Our ancestors trusted in You, and You rescued them. You heard their cries for help and saved them.  They put their trust in You and were never disappointed.  Psalm 22:4-5
• For our present troubles are quite small and won't last very long.  Yet they produce for us an immeasurably great glory that will last forever.   2 Corinthians 4:17

What change are you facing right now?  What steps will you take to respond to it well? Feel free to share in the comments below.  I'd love to pray with you through your season of change!