Put On Your Indiana Jones Hat.....

Something is about to change.
I don't know exactly what, or how, or when.
But I know its coming.
Soon.

Change scares most people, and I've never understood why.  To me, change is an adventure! Its the dawn of something new, fresh and exciting!

As a young housewife, I would delight in rearranging my furniture on a regular basis....say every 6 months or so.  Even though my livingroom didn't consist of much decor, just positioning the couch and recliner in different corners and switching out a picture or two from my bedroom would perk up the whole house.  The kids would come home from school and say "Oooo, Mommy, this is so cool!" and joyfully collapse on the carpet, flipping on the tv as if it was their first time seeing it in color.

It was the same for my classrooms.  As an elementary school teacher, I found great satisfaction in changing my room's theme each year.  Apple Ranch, Carnival, Bible days, Farm, you name it, I did it. Posted lettering, borders, and circle time boards, all new!   It was more work than changing around my sparce livingroom, but what a blast I had.

Some changes can be difficult, but time tends to make them tolerable and even rewarding.

A new department assignment within the company which may include more hours and responsibility but a raise as well. Or, a slow smile on the technichian's face, then the sonogram surprise---twins!

And then there's those other changes.  The ones that make getting out of bed in the morning a major effort.  A change that requires all the courage you can muster just to put that smile on your face the world demands.  A change that makes the smallest noise sound like thunder in your ears, your heart pounding out of your chest and your hands sweat.

Like losing the job you've invested your heart and soul into .....then dismissed after 25 years.

Or the decline physically and mentally of an aged mother who has always been such a strong, independent matriarch of the family.

How about an athletic young father who suffers a traumatic brain injury and is now learning to walk, talk and feed himself again?   And lets not forget his wife....talk about a major life change.

The death of a spouse....and they were the ones who handled the finances and spiritual leadership of your home.  Now what?

Change is inevitable.  It's part of all we do.  It's the process of change that makes life, well life.

Since I've grown older, I now can see the benefit of those changes, both the ones I managed well and the ones that took my breath away and left me wishing I was four again!  Since I've made the choice to embrace change, this is what I've learned.

In order to keep moving forward, to experience the new, fresh season God has placed before me, I must leave the past behind.

 It may require personal sacrifice or a time of real grief.  But its the doorway to that "new" my heart has been longing for. "Weeping may endure for the night, but joy comes in the morning." Psalm 30:5

Another key to embracing change, is to count your blessings and chalk off the losses.

I literally take a sheet of paper, and write down by hand the negatives that occured BEFORE change took place.  Then on the other side of the paper I write the positives, the blessings, and yes, the "this could have happened but it didn't, thank You, Lord!" events BEFORE the life change.  Even if the negatives outweigh the good, if I choose to listen to that still small Voice, He shows me that nothing, I repeat, NOTHING goes unnoticed by Him, and He will use it for my good as His Word says.  "If your Instruction hadn't been my delight, I would have died because of my suffering.  I will never forget Your precepts because through them You have given me life again!" Psalm 119:92 & 93 AMP.

Finally, I do my best to return to my child-like faith in a loving, everfaithful Father.
Admit it, as adults we can often get so weary of setbacks, tired of defending the defeats, etc. that we want to say "FORGET IT.  DON'T WANNA.  STAYING RIGHT HERE.  NO LIFE CHANGE FOR ME, NO THANK YOU!

Then, like a daddy coaxing his toddler out into the big pool for the first time, I feel His strong hands guiding me slowly but surely into the unknown.  I focus on His smile as He encourages me, affirming my every move toward this new thing surrounding me.  And as I relax and begin to follow His commands, I find the pure joy and contentment once again of knowing I'm safe, I'm actually enjoying this, and I'm right where He wanted me to be.  "...for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.  I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty.  I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plently or in want.  I can do all this (CHANGE!) through Him Who gives me the strength!" Phil. 4:11-13 NIV

So...has life thrown you a curve ball?  Have your circumstances flipped around so drastically that a HUGE change is inevitable for you?  Whatever form it may appear in--- financial, physical, geographical, even spiritual----know this:  when you truly believe that your Heavenly Father has each moment planned for your GOOD, you will find that the change you were dreading, will actually be an incredible adventure.  Imagine that....

YOU,....going on an adventure called Life with the Master Tour Guide. Unlike Dr. Jones, our Hollywood version who found himself lost or facing the unknown, God knows each and every path you've already stumbled on, all those new scary peaks and unwelcome valleys; all those crazy, unexpected detours!

Best of all, He knows what lies ahead of that big change for you ....He's already there.