Change is inevitable and we can choose to either fight it or embrace it. Learning how to accept change gracefully offers us peace and a chance to act rather than react…
“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1)
Change is rarely expected or convenient. Unless it’s a change that we set into motion, it has a bad habit of sneaking up on us just when we feel we have control of things.
A month ago, I was putting my kids to bed like any other night when two of my daughters came to me separately and said that they wanted try going to public school. One had never gone and the other only went for kindergarten. They wanted to see what other kids were experiencing and do something different.
They were excited for a change. Me? I cried myself to sleep.
Logically, I knew this wasn’t about me or how I’ve taught them over the years. But inside, I felt judged and found wanting. It took a few days of prayer and discussion before I was able to say with a clear heart that yes, they could enroll in school in the fall. It was a hard decision, not because public school is so bad, but this change would force me to change what I thought I would be doing with them in the coming months and maybe years.
Change is hard on so many levels. But I think it’s hardest when that change feels like the death of something. Something ending. But what if we stopped focusing on the end, and started focusing on the new beginning that was coming?
Embracing change without fear
Change is scary for many of us. But along with the anxiety, there is usually a little excitement. That’s because we know that a new season is upon us. We can choose to get dragged into that season kicking and screaming, or we can walk into it confidently and make our peace with it.
Losing jobs, moving cities, ending relationships, and changing plans can feel traumatic. But with each of these new changes, we are given an opportunity to start fresh. We can accept that change has come, that a season has changed, and we can embrace it rather than fight it. If we choose to embrace it, then we can make plans and handle that change in our own way. Otherwise, we are forced to react and maybe land up in places we didn’t want to be.
But is trying to exert control and our will mean we are going against God’s? Not if our actions are guided by Him. Prayer in these seasons is so important if we want to take the right steps for the right reasons.
For me, embracing this new season means touring schools, planning supplies lists, finishing our homeschool year strong, and working out new schedules. It will mean supporting my girls through their own fears of the unknown. It will mean trusting God with the things I do not know.
Seasons come and go, and we need to bravely embrace the changes they bring. Maybe they will be forever, maybe they won’t last long. Perhaps my girls will return to homeschooling, or maybe they won’t. But either way, accepting them will give us peace and an opportunity to enjoy the opportunities that come with a new beginning.
Have a blessed Monday!
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