A Willingness to Change

Written by Laura Carter and Monica Debro

Change, it’s going to happen whether we want it to or not. There are times that change is good and other times that we wish something better could’ve happened. We can plan dates, times, seasons, and reasons to make things different in our lives.

No matter what your present circumstances may be, they are subject to change.  Go outside and look at what you see, feel, and hear.  Then go back outside in six hours.  You will notice various changes.  It’s the same thing with our lives and the things around us.  The weather outside will continue its designed path no matter what the plan is for our daily routine.  The news announcer will report what the predicted weather will be for the next seven days and if happening, the path of a storm. We may adjust our outside activities according to the report. This may include putting on a jacket, rain boots, pants instead of shorts (or vice versa), a scarf, hat, or whatever adjustment we need to make based on the weather outside. If we are paying close attention, we take extra items based on how the weather may change while we are out and about during our day.

Now, let’s flip the script from considering changes in the weather outside to changes in our personal lives. It’s up to us to realize and understand the intended purpose of the paths that we are taking in our careers, health, finances, and relationships with people and God.  As you’re making plans, ask God for clarity.

There will be times that you pray to seek clarity and receive a solid answer. You plan, take specific steps, making sure that everything is organized and arranged as you prepare to take the leap. Then you jump! With everything in you, there is no straddling the fence, you JUMP! The parachute opens and it’s a smooth ride with a beautiful view. There are other times when you jump, the parachute doesn’t open, and things don’t turn out the way you envisioned it would. It’s a fast-twirling drop and things are spinning so fast and your vision is out of focus. Ask me how I know because it happened to me.

I quit a job making six figures to move out of state to a job making much less. Why? Because I was fulfilling a heart’s desire and confidence that I was moving in the direction God wanted me to go. I’d received several confirmations and didn’t have any doubts. However, the bottom fell out and I wasn’t able to start the new job. Over the past two years, I’ve learned a lot of lessons and grown through the experience.

Everyone takes a different path in life and adjusts to the many changes. Just look at 2020 and how we had to suddenly adjust due to the pandemic. During this time of change, many questions were asked by people I’ve spoken with over the past year.

• Should I use this time to go back to school only to be in more debt?
• How would continuing my education affect my life? Would it be better or worse? Especially since I don’t know the outcome of everything that is going on.
• Would that time serve me better by improving a skill that I already have?
  • This one struck me like a lightning bolt because I was looking at options for law school and decided to obtain nursing certifications instead.  
• How can I use this time to improve my relationship as a parent?
• Is this the time for me to purchase a new home or condominium? If so, where and what are the advantages and disadvantages?  Or is it time for me to pay off my debts and increase my savings?
• If I were to die today, what legacy am I leaving for my family?
• Is it, not the right time for me to start a new business? There were many businesses closed during the pandemic and many that were successfully launched.

Like the weather changing is out of our control, there will be other circumstances that will happen in our lives of which we have no control and will just happen. During these times, we have the right to feel sad, cry, and ask God for answers. But at some point, and sometimes while still grieving, we must get up, evaluate the circumstances and make decisions for ourselves that will benefit our future. Change happens sometimes so that we can become better people. Maybe the change happened because God needed to get something out of us that was an unhealthy habit.

Our lives have unexpectantly had to adjust to change and we must be willing to continue to be flexible, bendable, and adaptable. Remember, many are the plans of a man’s heart. There were many plans changed over the past 13 months and more will be changed because God knows the plans that He has for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11). Even when the plans change and the parachute doesn’t open, trust His plan. He only wants the best for you.