By Buffy Halverson
Change isn’t always bad, but you wouldn’t know it by society’s reaction to change. I think many people don’t like change because they fear the unknown and are apprehensive about the difficulties and confusion inherent in learning new skills. I mean, just a cell phone upgrade can really mess with me. “How do I do this?” and “Why can’t I do that? I know I used to be able to…” How frustrating! Then, over time, I become accustomed to the new device, and I even grow to like it.
A different problem is when change happens so slowly that we don’t notice it. I have heard people say, “I woke up one day and discovered my marriage was over.” How does that happen? It helps to remember that it wasn’t a sudden event that destroyed the marriage; it was actually a sudden realization of slow change.
However, slow change isn’t always destructive. Sometimes little things–time together and kindness–work to build good strong relationships and people. That too, though it often happens slowly, may be recognized suddenly. Something happens–some kind of crisis or difficult event–and people are there for you, people you didn’t realize were such good friends.
So change–whether it is slow and suddenly noticed, or sudden and slowly accepted–is part of life. The transformation that God has in mind is the most amazing: He takes the broken, wounded, messed-up parts of our lives and transforms them into places that are strong, beautiful, and are often the greatest blessing. Yes, change can be a blessing.
Photo credit: iStockphoto, Tihis
