Five Tips for Processing Change by Steve Johnson
F
or I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland. (Isaiah 43:19) Some wag observed, “Nobody likes change except wet babies, and even they will usually cry about it.” It’s true. I don’t cry about change but much to the chagrin of change advocates around me I say, “Routine is our friend.” God has wired us to find comfort, security, and identity in the familiar, the routine, our customs and traditions. Losing them or changing them can throw us off balance and that’s uncomfortable. Most of us don’t want to change because we believe it will be detrimental somehow—we’ll lose power, comfort, convenience, or position.
God Himself doesn’t change, but that is not an argument against change. He is not interested in maintaining the status quo at all costs but rather expects us to change. He tells us, “Be transformed” (Romans 12:2) and that may mean repentance—changing our mind and behaviour. Change is necessary for salvation and life to occur. Dealing with change in life can be hard but Scripture does provide us with some direction. One of the best examples of change was the Israelites leaving Egypt after 430 years and heading ultimately to the Promised Land. One would think they would welcome the change from routine of slavery to freedom and independence, and at first, they did. But human nature being what it is they weren’t long in the desert before they wanted to go
