My Relationship w/Change is Changin'

The woman who's gentle acceptance and caring opened my heart to the love of God is such a very special person to me. Her steady friendship and wise counsel helped me to take my first wobbly steps back to Jesus. Her refusal to pass judgement and to0 kind willingness to overlook my clinging bad habits gave me the courage to keep trying to change and be more like Christ.
And then one day - I announced that I was moving away.
My eyes filled with tears and my heart felt like it would break.
(Who will guide me now? How will I make it? I can't do this on my own!)
Even as I fought against it, I knew that God knew what He was doing in my life. It would have been too easy for me to grow too reliant on my friend, too easy for me to trust in her guidance and not grow up and learn to trust in God alone.
God has blessed me with several spiritual mentors, but in most cases, it has been for a season only. When He brings about more change, I've learned not to panic, though there are always some tears.
And now a friend of mine is "moving" in a sense. It brings up questions for me...did I do enough for her? How could I have poured into her life more?
Does the prospect of change bring up fear of loss for you? Part of my anxiety about change came early in life because so often change did lead to loss. There is a popular saying: 'When God closes a door, He opens a window.' That was never my experience as a young woman. I would have told you: 'When God closes a door, the floor gives out beneath you and you fall a long way down." Have you ever felt that way? Part of the problem for me was that I walked away from Jesus growing up. I was trying to play the game of life by my own rules - and I'm convinced that it was God's Grace in action that prevented me from succeeding on my own. Sometimes we have to crash and burn to wake up to our need for God. In my case, I had to crash and burn and then some. One thing is true - since the day that I accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior, my relationship with Change is changing. Now, when a door closes - I can see the window opening. And to be honest, sometimes I would have preferred the door flung wide open over the window! I can always see God's Hand in it and know I can trust Him.
Change is threatening to so many people. I am reading Chasing Daylight by Erwin McManus. Erwin takes God's Word & challenges us to step up & take action. Even in fear, get up & move.
McManus speaks to divine moments/opportunities requiring genuine effort. Beyond risk, these moments require real sweat. I love these quotes from the book,
"Do not be surprised if in your fear & weakness, He challenges you to get up & be strong."
"When we choose to live a life bigger than ourselves, God uses us to shake things up!"
Even if the change happens on the edges of your own life, if they involve someone you love, you might feel like their need for change is a statement about your lack of it. I'm sure you've seen it before - maybe you were the first in your circle of friends who accepted Christ. Your friends may have felt like your decision to 'get religion' was a decision of weakness. Or perhaps God called you to a new place in life and your believing friends started to treat you differently - making comments about how you're getting "holy" now that you've heard from God.
In either situation - you made a decision to pursue change - and it's scaring others because in some way they feel like they are being left behind.
What about others in your life who have changed?
Did someone get a new job or friends and now you feel like you're not good enough?
Did a sibling stand up to the status quo of your family dysfunction and now you feel like they're thinking that you're weak because you haven't?
Whether you're leaving others behind or feeling left behind - if change makes you uncomfortable, take some time to examine why. Find some alone time with God and ask Him to show you why you feel the way you do - and how you can respond to it in a positive way.
It seems to me that change puts you in a place between faith & hope where there is much risk.
I want God to fight this battle for us, but He's not. I keep looking for a sign from God with detailed instructions and He's waiting on me to get moving?! "It only takes one moment to change everything." Here's a question that affected me this week...What kind of sign are you looking for? See Judges 6
Remember there is no challenge or enemy powerful enough to stand in your way. God invites you to go in your own strength, trusting in Him & in your obedience receiving His strength.
"This is the intersection that we must cross: God begins with Go and we often begin with Wait."
"Many of us want a map, but what we get is a compass. The life of the believing adventurer is like windsurfing. Both in the old testament & new, the Spirit of God is described by the same word which also translates wind. When we become a people of the Spirit, we join the wind of God as He moves through human history."
So jump into the wind with your compass! Blessings on your adventure,