Finding Comfort through Change

‘But I don’t want to,’ I say gritting my teeth and fighting back the urge to stamp my foot. The news has hit and my heart is sinking. Change is on the horizon.

Again.

I am having an argument with God.

Again.

I know I am fighting a losing battle. Experience has taught me I never win an argument with God. I don’t want to back down. Somehow, admitting I am wrong is a sign of failure or defeat.

This is the conversation between God and me when significant change is on the horizon. I begin to feel fear and panic deep inside of me. I feel my stomach dropping and my heart trying to leap out of my body. I fear losing control and watching life happen without being able to do anything about it. When I know there is significant change is coming, I want to fight God. I know I could see change as an opportunity to be joyful. But still I fight.

We entered a new year a couple months back. My Facebook feed was filled with mixed responses. Some were full of excitement to see what the year ahead had in store, others were keen to see the end of a crappy year. And then there were the ones whose responses were full of uncertainty, doubt and anxiety.

A new year to me is almost always a guarantee for change. That thought fills me with dread. Changes make me feel like my world is crumbling around me.

The issue is not with whether I like change or not (and let’s be honest – lots of us don’t like change. We’re not alone).

The issue is with how I deal with it.

My temperament tends towards: bottling up my emotions until they unexpectedly burst, depression and anxiety symptoms, stress and catastrophic thinking. I struggle to make decisions as everything becomes fuzzy in my mind. I fear (or perhaps know deep down) I am not in control. It is like there is a warning button that is turned on in my brain when change is on the horizon.

However, not all change is bad. Change is becoming a reminder to me that I have a sovereign God. When my family went through some drastic changes a couple of years ago, one of my pastors consistently reminded me ‘God is sovereign’. I have clung to that truth ever since. I have found comfort knowing God is bigger than any change in life.

As much as we battle for control in our lives, and as much as we think we know better than God, the Bible offers a completely different perspective. Rather than stamping our feet and pouting because our ways do not line with His (guilty!), turning towards God and His truth provides comfort and peace.

For several years I have dreaded even thinking about moving outside of my comfort zone. I thrive off routine, and predictability. Choosing to live life my own way has never ended well so I think I have actually feared change in case I end up back where I was. I now choose a verse (Lamentations 3:21-23) to meditate on each day and place my trust in God.

The Bible has many other verses you can choose from as your own. Print them out and hang them on a wall or carry them in your wallet to remind you what the verse says. Here are just a couple:

‘God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfil it?’ Numbers 23:19-20 (ESV).

‘Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the L_ORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.’ Deuteronomy 31:6 (ESV).

‘Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.’ Hebrews 13:8 (ESV).

Not all change is scary. However, it is hard when friends move away or when tragedy strikes family. Change also gives us opportunity. An opportunity to draw close to God. An opportunity to place our trust in the One who created us. When life begins to feel like it is falling apart remember:

God is the one and only constant in life.

What change are you facing this year? How can you approach it in a godly manner?