Moving On
Before we look at Stage 2 of change I feel compelled to share something else about facing change. Change is a constant companion…. Change, Change, Change. Every day in America 108,000 of us move to a different home. There will be 18,000 people move to another state. Today 40 Americans turn 100 and 5800 people will turn 65. More change today, 167 businesses will go bankrupt and 689 new ones start up. Change isn’t over today, 100 Americans will become millionaires.
Some Questions Must Be Asked
Think of the most recent change you’ve had to face. Did you calmly believe God? Did you believe from the onset of change that God would work it all out? Would the truth be you pushed the panic button? When life drops unexpected changes in our laps… our 1st reaction is to fight them! Let me tell you why.
Change changes ROUTINES
Let’s face it, we like for things to remain the same. Change messes with our carefully constructed routines.
Change Cost Us Something
It’s a fact of life that a change costs! That’s one of the reasons I don’t change my oil when I’m supposed to…. Right? Some people are open to change as long as it doesn’t inconvenience them or cost them anything. In other words, they’re not open to change. God told Isaiah….
Isaiah 43:18-19: “Do not call to mind the former things, or ponder things of the past. Behold, I will do something new.”
The Message | Is 43:18 “Forget about what’s happened; don’t keep going over old history. 19 Be alert, be present. I’m about to do something brand-new. It’s bursting out! Don’t you see it? There it is! I’m making a road through the desert, rivers in the badlands.
When we face change we have to realize if we don’t Transition or Move on, or Let go, we will only struggle and in fact lose our joy.
NLT | Php 3:13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead.
Change Is Like A Book
We try to live life like reading a book. We look at the table of contents then we pick & choose what we will read. You never get everything intended, you must read each chapter to get all that is intended for you to know. We must face the truth of each Chapter and move on to the next one. We have a a need to only read the chapters that bring the least change or only make us feel good.
Your life is an unfolding story filled with many chapters with some that are not finished yet. You may be in a good one right now but you must move on when its time to turn the page. You can’t continue to skip chapters. When one ends move on. Change will become springboards to better things. Change will turn into opportunities thought impossible! Change will turn into blessings. Do not fear change!
We Need To Learn From Moses
NLT | Heb 11:27 It was by faith that Moses left the land of Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger. He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible.
Those last words are words to instruct us on how to live. Moses’ eyes were on God and he was able to endure. The Living Bible says: he “kept right on going!” Moffatt’s translation says, “He never flinched.” Moses had staying power – even with all the changes that challenged him. He kept his eyes on God, not the Changes. Moses transitioned and moved on to new things and greater experiences with God. God is a God of new ideas, of innovation. God is a God who uses change.
Lets talk about Stage 2 of Moving On
I call it “The Exploration.” This stage can be chaotic and a bit stressful. Alright, sometimes a lot stressful. What’s out there that I can’t see? Truth is, 97% of what you face is only in your mind with no real substance or facts to back it up. We seem to always view change with a season of wild and crazy ideas of what’s coming and how bad it will be. Yes, you may experience fear, moments of confusion, times of uncertainty, levels of stress not experienced before, other moments of indecisiveness, and you may face the D word…. Discouragement. But you must learn to Transition and Move On.
Change is inevitable. Nature flows beautifully with its change of seasons. A tree does not try to stop its leaves from falling, clinging to each one in hopes that it won’t fall to the ground. Whether changes are large or small, they can be unsettling, even scary. When faced with change, we often decide we don’t want it and find ourselves fighting against it instead of exploring the possibilities of the change.
Go into the Exploration stage this way; #1- Set reasonable expectations, and don’t expect or demand a particular outcome. #2- Silence your inner “know-it-all self.” #3- Don’t walk alone. When your well entrenched routines suddenly dissolve, it can seem as if all your supports are gone too, giving a sense of free-fall. Find someone who has faced change and done it well. Let them show you how to navigate as you explore what the change is bringing, #4- If you’re facing a massive rescaling of your life, your first impulse may be to go into a full out on slot of activity, but there’s a lot of value to sitting quietly instead. You need to sit down and quiet your mind with the Word of God. You need to refresh your relationship with Him.
Recognize That You Are Growing Stronger
When you embrace change, you inevitably grow stronger. Accepting this as a positive result of change will help you have the internal motivation to embrace it. When we proactively embrace change and move on we are showing that we are learning to accept it as a part of life and in turn we are more calm.
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