Adapt to change or be in a constant state of turmoil

Have you learned how to adapt to change with a minimum of stress?

It's a key skill for single people simply because we're the most prone to getting in a rut. Think about it for a moment.

We don't have to adapt to change to meet a spouse's needs or preferences. If you're divorced, a widow or widower, you may have to deal with your children's changes. But if you've never been married, like me, you get to call most of the shots in your life.

I had a girlfriend once who accused me of being set in my ways. She was right! I did things that were comfortable for me. I believed I had discovered the smartest, most stress-free ways to run my life, and that's what I did.

My routines were reassuring. They provided a sense of safety. I wisely did not point out to this woman—who was three years older than me—that she was pretty set in her ways herself!

In today's world, change is an almost daily occurrence. If we don't learn how to roll with it, we'll be in a constant state of turmoil.

Why everyone resists change

Change is frightening because we don't know what's coming next. When we lose control of things, life gets real scary real fast. We're all control freaks at heart, whether we want to admit it or not.

Even veteran Christians, saints who've walked with God all their lives, can find themselves paralyzed with fear and anxiety when change comes. We're forced to acknowledge that God is in control, and that's always a hard thing to do.

Married people may get encouragement or support from their spouse when change happens. They have someone trustworthy to talk with.
Who do we have? A family member? A pastor? A friend? The value of these conversations is that the other person can allay our fears, calm us, and remind us that God has our best interests at heart.

Over and over, the Bible commands us not to be afraid. How can we obey that? By remembering a loving Father is in charge. We are never out of his care, never away from his protection.

You can always count on change

Change can be bad--and that's the kind of change we fear the most. But sometimes it's reassuring to remember that except for God, nothing stays the same forever.

That's good to know when you're grieving, when you're sick, or when you're in some other miserable situation. It won't last forever. Some day it will change.

When you're in a happy situation and life is going along smoothly, it's important to appreciate that time of joy. While we shouldn't live in anxiety, fearing that our happiness will be pulled out from under us, simply knowing that everything eventually changes keeps you from being caught off-guard. A completely unexpected change may throw you for a short time, but you soon recover because you know you can adapt to change over time.

Recognizing that everything will change also provides some evenness to your life. You're not riding an emotional roller coaster of highs and lows. You're grateful for and appreciate the good times, but you don't let the bad times drag you too far down. They're not going to last forever. An end to them will come as well.

Adapt to change: What never changes

Some changes are small and you can cope with them easily. But others are huge, sweeping, and life-encompassing. How do you process that much newness? How do you adapt to change when people you love, a job, a pet, or possessions that you loved are taken away?

We put our faith in these things that bring us joy or security, but all of them are temporary. If you look back on your life, it's easier to realize things you once thought would go on forever just don't. We would like many of them to continue the same, on and on without end, but that's not realistic.

The general rule is that anything you can see will not stay the same forever. Things you can't see, like God, can last for eternity.

The only way to keep from panicking when a good thing ends is to remind yourself that Christ never changes. He's the same as he was 2,000 years ago on earth, and the same as he was trillions of years before that.

No matter how much your world changes, Christ is always the solid rock that you can go to. What's more, his love for you will never change.

That familiarity is something you can cling to when everything else is uncertain. If most of your life seems unreliable, Christ is still reliable. Once you test that Rock and find him steady, you can draw upon his trustworthiness to help you deal with all the other changes in your life.

If you remember only one thing from this article lock this truth in your heart: Nothing can take Jesus from you.

Some changes are bad, some are good. But through them all, Christ is always constant. Hang on to him tightly, and he'll help you adapt to change.

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