I have personally undergone three big changes in my life. One, being when I transitioned into high school. This brought a wave of unusual anxiety and stress that I had never experienced before. Two, being when I held the baby who I thought was my nephew. Third, being when I moved out of the house and into a Johnson University dorm.
The most recent change was when I moved into a dorm. I was extremely unprepared for college. But in reality I was unprepared for what college was going to do inside of me. When hanging around dudes 24/7 it really takes a toll on your English. I started saying things like “Suh Dude?”, “Chiliiiiiiiiii”, and “Holy Nut”. (For you all who have the blessing of not knowing what these mean. Suh dude is What’s up?, Chili is stay cool or calm down, and Holy Nut is Holy Crap). It was basically learning a new language. Even so, college has already made an imprint on my heart because of the awesome people I have met.
In the same case of learning a new language, this change also came with other learning curves. Change is inevitable, but change is a part of life that can leave us feeling lost, unprepared, and even stuck.
What can we do when change puts us in chains?
I. UNDERSTAND THE WHY
Change can happen for a lot of reasons. It can be natural part of life–like getting married, moving, or getting a new job, or it can be because something has happened to use. This could be an unexpected passing of a family member, unexpected pregnancy, or someone robs you. These things can leave us wondering why we are going through this and how are we going to get through this change.
When Jesus and His disciples came up to a blind man in John 9 the disciples asked Jesus “Rabbi, WHO sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus replied “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.” (9:2-3 NIV). Then Jesus spit on the ground to make mud and rubbed the mud on the blind man’s eyes. Then Jesus commanded him to go to the pool of Siloam to wash his eyes. When the man had done this, his sight had been restored and he could see.
While the disciples focused on who sinned; Jesus was focused on why he was blind. When change seems paralyzing, don’t focus on what is changing. Focus on why it is happening. What you will find is that the chains are too strong for you, but Jesus has the key to set you free. We are unprepared, lost, and stuck due to the change we encounter, but Jesus wants to reveal His strength through our weakness. He will be glorified through the change in your life because He will provide a way through it. God will bring you to a place of spiritual blindness so that the light of glory will shine through your life.
II. ANSWER THE CALL
Change impacts each of us differently. When we go through change, it can paralyze us and make us think that we are unable to adapt. Change isn’t bad. It is necessary to grow and reach new possibilities. But that comes from the way you respond to change.
Do you have an attitude of gratefulness or pride? Do you accept the change or reject it? Do you do everything in your power to get back to the normal or do you move on? When Jesus put the mud on the blind person’s eyes, He told him to go to the pool of Siloam. The man went to the pool and experienced the greatest change of his life. The man was walking through a dark world with mud on his eyes and a little bit of hope that one day he could open his eyes and see the color of the sea.
When change comes into our lives, we live on hope that when God points us into a circumstance that seems impossible or scary, that we would trust in Him. God will never keep you to darkness; He wants to show you the dawn. Sometimes God uses change to bring in the light. Embrace change for it may be the very path to a new light, a new life.
III. SURVIVE
Shortchange – “to deprive of or give less than something due”
Have you ever felt shortchanged? It seems that when change hits the scene, I feel I am shortchanged out of what I deserved. I think I deserve that job, that house, that grade, or that friend. Yet, it never seems to work out.
After big changes, days can begin to crawl. Have you ever woke up on a Monday and realize you missed your alarm. Then proceed to put on some clothes, that may or may not be clean, and rush off to school or work. After school or work, you do a quick Bible study. Eat some dinner and then proceed to get into a Netflix coma that will slowly let you forget that this day ever happened. Then when you get back in bed you realize something… even though today wasn’t the most productive day. I leaned on God today. Even though the change is hard and the days seem mundane, God will turn the mundane into a masterpiece.
“Faith doesn’t give me strength to get out of the storm. It gives me the power to fight through it.” – Steven Furtick
Sometimes the best way to grow is to survive. It may not be pretty, but it doesn’t have to be. God will use the struggle to propel you into your purpose. God wants to give you strength through the change because He ultimately desires to provide a way for the battle within you. What God wants to see is a heart-change. When our situation changes, God wants us to evaluate our own heart to understand that He has set us free from our past and He holds our future. No change is greater than the security and confidence we find in Christ.
God has not left you in the change. He enters your situation to give you the strength to overcome. You are not shortchanged, but you are being trained for the promise ahead. God is still working. God is still loving. Change comes but our hope remains.
What are some tough changes you are going through? Leave a comment and let me know. If you need prayer, please visit the Contact page and let me know so I can pray for you. If you have a message that God wants you to share, then visit the Guest Posting page.
nick settles 