Dealing With Change

Most people see change as pain rather than gain.
Once we have found a life view and lifestyle with which we are comfortable, we begin to resist change. And the older we get, the more we feel threatened by the demands or even the thoughts of change. We try and make our personal world like a painted picture. We carefully add the elements and colors that we like. We attempt to exclude the things and people with which we disagree. We attempt to surround our painting with a protective frame and look for a safe place to put it on display. We then hope and pray that we will never have to deal with the pain of change.
I have discovered a far more realistic picture of life. I see life as being on one of those moving walkways like you see at many airports. I always look forward to the opportunity to use them. It is fun to move along quickly without exerting the effort necessary to maintain the speed. However, the picture of life that I see involves being on a moving walkway that is, in fact, going the opposite direction that I want to travel. You see, time, like that walkway, is constantly moving from the future (that is in front of us), toward the past (that is behind us).
This picture profoundly affects how I view change. It challenges me to embrace change as a gift from God with the potential to produce gain rather than pain.
If we simply stand still, stuck in a place of comfort or control, this moving walkway of life will inevitably move us backward. Perhaps this is why so many feel out-of-touch or irrelevant. If we are to move forward or even just maintain our place of relevance in our world we must be willing to change.
Change that is gain calls for learning even when you think that you know everything Change that is gain requires listening to the thoughts, ideas, and insights of others (especially those who are younger than you)
Change that is gain demands looking forward rather than just inward
Change that is gain includes limiting negative thoughts and words
Change that is gain involves letting go of things held simply because at one point in time they were effective
Most importantly, change that is gain happens when our minds grasp the truth that God has a personal plan for each of us. Continual change is a fundamental element that prepares us for, and propels us forward into fulfillment of His glorious plan and our intended destiny.