Change Is Absolutely OK

One of my favorite lines from a television show is this, “If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got.” True statement.  Absolutely cuts to the heart of meeting change head on. I use that line all the time with other people, with my family, and with myself.

It's so easy to get stuck in a rut. This is especially true for me and really I think for any mom.  We find something that works, be it a morning routine, a homeschooling curriculum, a carpool route, or a meal plan. We put those things into practice and they work for us.  Then all of a sudden a new baby comes along, the math book gets too difficult, dad's work schedule changes, or a food allergy enters the scene.  AAAHHH!  What do we do now?

Sometimes change finds us and it really causes an uproar.  We find ourselves unsettled and confused about how to move forward.  We can't see the forest for the trees because it wasn't in our plan. If you're like me, I start mentally processing the long term effects of the change and I easily find myself overwhelmed. Even small changes can do this to me because I've put too much weight in my plan. (Spontaneity is not my strong suit!) However, when things finally settle back down and the “change” has become the new normal, life seems good again.  It's interesting how embracing what might be a little unsettling can actually help us to grow, to move forward in a positive way.  I think of this as God stretching me, asking me to step out of my comfort zone!

On the other hand, sometimes we need to seek out change, to search for that new normal that will point us in the right direction.  These occasions are best identified by that unsettled feeling or maybe a sense of disorder (beyond the usual!).  I've found in my own life and in my vocation as wife and mother that there are sometimes very obvious signs that something needs to change and other times when the signs are more subtle.  In either case, we must seek out the change best suited to our needs, to the needs of our family or to that particular situation.

Change is absolutely OK.  We need to be stirred to a new level of awareness.  We need to take courage and step out of our comfort zones.  God is still with us no matter what.  He doesn't abandon us just because we choose to shop at Aldi instead of Meijer, or because we choose to send one kid to school and homeschool the others, or because we decide to say no more often to cut down on the craziness of our schedules.  The list is endless but He's in the midst of those decisions and those changes when we allow Him to be.  Change can bring out the worst in all of us because we approach it with fear and trepidation. If we instead approach it with joy and acceptance (to the best of our ability and through prayer) then we will ultimately find the blessing in all change.