“Change is painful, but nothing is as painful as staying stuck somewhere you don’t belong.” Mandy Hale
Even though we know that life is filled with changes, most of us don’t respond well to change. But why? Why do we resist change? Why do we assume that change is bad? He’s changed since he got that good job. She changed when she became a mother. He/she changed when they started dating. Since they started going to church, they’ve changed. People change. We change. You change. I change. RelationSHIPS change. EVERYONE and EVERYTHING changes. NOTHING remains the same. Change is constant AND consistent and if we expect to grow and better our lives, we too, must be willing to accept and adapt to change. Change is going to happen but are we willing to grow with the change? Are you changing? Have you been changed?
Last week, I won tickets on KJLH to Fantasia’s (Barrino) Sketchbook Tour. As always, she puts on a fantastic show. She gave a high energy performance and I danced, danced, danced. During her show, she paused to give GOD praise for her life and acknowledged that by the grace of GOD, she’d been changed. Then she began to sing the gospel song written by Lashun Pace “I know I’ve been changed.“…….”I knoooow I’ve been changed, IIIIIII know I’ve been changed, I know I’ve been changed, I know I’ve been changed Angels in Heaven done signed my name.” As I joined Fantasia’s praise session, I began to reflect on how GOD has blessed my life and how much I’ve been changed. I then, in the middle of an R&B concert, began to focus on the word change.
What is change? Webster’s Dictionary defines change as… “the act of becoming different or of causing someone or something to become different. : the act of replacing one thing with another.” Change, because of its element of uncertainty, can appear scary. It can be viewed as either a new beginning or a terrible ending. It can be perceived as either good or bad. It can be seen as necessary or unnecessary, growth building or heart-breaking, but, change can’t be viewed as optional. No matter how we view it, life will force us to change-willingly or unwillingly. John Maxwell once said, “Change is inevitable. Growth is optional” and NO truer words have been spoken.
Change has the ability to find us during some of the most inopportune times in our lives. It may come as a result of a crisis, or as a result of a choice, we’ve made or merely by chance. Change looks and feels different for everyone. Some are able to handle it with ease, while for others, it is a huge challenge. Truth is, change is uncomfortable for us all. Nonetheless, change WILL find us. It WILL challenge us, and it WILL force us to reconsider some of our choices while also presenting other options. Change is unavoidable. Regardless of how change happens, when it does, we are faced with a choice – do we make the change or do we resist it? Change is about choices.
The key to accepting change is to recognize that although we are unable to control life’s unexpected circumstances, there is value in change. Change isn’t always bad, it has its benefits. Change unleashes a power that when we activate it enables us to change our circumstances. Change helps us grow. It teaches us flexibility. It challenges our values and beliefs. It reveals our strengths. It provides us with opportunities. Change shows us what we are made of. So, activate your power and make the changes you need to live your best life, I did.
I know I’ve been changed and for this, I am grateful to GOD. HAVE YOU BEEN CHANGED? Enjoy Fantasia, I know I did!!
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SHIP TALK: Have you changed? What made you change? Were you scared of making changes? What changes did you make?
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