When Change is Hard to Embrace
For 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 NLT
I am a person who likes change. I know that is not the norm. But I tend to get restless easily and because of this, I welcome change. But not all kinds of change. There are some kinds of change that God puts in front of me that I just want to push away like a toddler who doesn’t want to eat her broccoli.
It’s the walk-on-water kind of change that God asks of me. This type of change scares me.
This type of change requires me to get out of my comfort zone.
It requires me to let go of control and surrender my situation to the Lord.
It challenges me to trust God. And right here is where the problem lies….
Letting go of control and trusting God.
My emotions would rather not change the status quo because I can handle what is already in front of me. I know what to expect- pain, disappointment, and frustration.
However, when God is looking for me to change, I don’t know what to expect. There is great fear in the unknown and it doesn’t feel safe which is why I fight Him. In my mind, I am trusting myself and my current situation more than I trust God. (The faithgirl in me has a hard time with this reality.)
A new year is always something to enjoy, but there’s no magic in it. God has been working out your situation for the last 365 days and then some.
He’s been by your side (and mine) in the wilderness and this very minute He’s working on your pathway.
And that dry wasteland that we’ve been avoiding, or trying to cover with busyness, or self-medicating so we don’t notice the gaping hole in our souls, He’s going to create a river, just you wait an see!
But first, we must let go and trust Him so He can do His work. (Or I can keep trying to manipulate Him and my situation. Btw, this never works and I don’t recommend it!)
Lord Jesus, I pray for the woman that needs to let go and trust you for the newness you want to bring into her life. Although the status quo is comfortable it’s not always healthy. Give her the strength to let go of the current situation so You can create something better for her life. In Jesus’ name, Amen