Summer of Change

Change is inevitable they say, and I agree.  You can run, you can hide, but it will certainly find you.  It's almost better to seek it out I think, because if you avoid it, it seems to go much worse than it would have otherwise.

Our culture as Americans is to resist change, we all do it.  But, if it is indeed inevitable, why do we do it?  Seems a little silly to me.  Yet we avoid it at all costs.  The person who advocates for changes at work usually gets a reputation as a complainer or someone to be avoided.  Is it really them that we are avoiding?

This summer my wife and I got married.  We also planned to move because our landlord had a better house down the street become available at a much better deal.  So we were very excited.  Little did we know how much moving at the beginning of June would effect us with our wedding about 3 weeks away from that.  Moving and weddings are in the top 5 stressors.  Great planning eh?  All that in addition to hosting family and friends and making sure everything worked out.  We planned and did most of the wedding ourselves, a very DIY project.

All of that change coupled with my internship for my grad school program really wore on us.  We honestly did not feel like we got a decent nights sleep all summer.  Thankfully my wife got a chance to rest a bit before school kicked back in (in JULY!!!) and right now I have a bit of time of before my school starts up.  But I can't remember us ever feeling this run down.

So maybe this is why we avoid change?  It certainly takes a toll on us.  But the one thing I have learned is that every time I go through change and stress I learn something valuable or I grow in a way I would have never guessed otherwise.  I truly believe this is why we can never really see God's plans for us until we see them in hindsight.  I think if we knew what was coming or where we are going, we would only make a mess of it.

The strongest wood for building is that which has been stressed by weather and wind.  The finest metals are those refined by fire.  I would encourage anyone to seek after change, to challenge yourself as much as you can.  Seek to take the choice that is difficult or uncomfortable.  Every time at work or school when I have had to be uncomfortable, or do something I didn't want to, it changed me, and usually it was an amazing experience.  I have found some of my favorite things in life by being uncomfortable and having to change.

I think the book of James says it best:  Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.  For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.  So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

Our wedding turned out to be amazing, our new house is great, and my internship finally got sorted out.  The point?  I learned a lot about myself, my wife, and life this summer.  Had I resisted these changes or not embraced them, but instead fought them, I don't think I would be as happy as I am today.  If change is inevitable then ask "what's next?" rather than "why me?"