Last week I mentioned that life involves change, and with that come events we didn’t ask for, that makes life difficult. While change is a given, how we respond to the unpleasant change isn’t. We can focus on the negative and waste time and energy fighting what we cannot change or we can accept the inevitable and learn to adapt to it knowing God is ultimately in control and His love for us controls all that happens. The question we face is; will change be allowed to cripple us or will we make the most of it? The following is a list of steps to consider from the book, How to Survive Change You Didn’t Ask For by M.J. Ryan (2014) reprinted by H. Norman Wright in: Restarting the World, a New Normal After a Pandemic (B&H Pub. 2021)
1. Focus on the solution, not the problem.
2. Because feeling in control is so crucial, ask, “What am I free to choose right now?”
3. Make a list of five possibilities. Give yourself permission not to have an answer at this time.
4. Give yourself credit for moving forward in a difficult situation. At the end of the day look at what you’ve done.
5. Create a prayer list that is very specific. Direct your complaints to God. Sometimes all we can do when faced with a challenging change is to cry out to the heavens.
6. Minister to other individuals. Get out and help someone else.
7. Find someone in the same situation to help and pay attention to what you suggest they do. One of the best resources is the advice you give others. Be sure to follow your own suggestions.
8. Exercise – thirty minutes of aerobic exercise a day is one of the best ways to counteract the stress of change.
9. Tell yourself, “You can do it!” Learn this phrase in another language and find online courses to learn other languages.
10. If you find yourself worrying all the time, set aside a fifteen-minute worry time.
11. If you find yourself doing things you’d rather not, be sure to do things that you love regularly.
12. Thank those who help along the way. Reinforce what others do to help you.
13. What really matters here? On a scale of 0 to 10, what will help you keep the change in proportion.
14. Hang out with happy people. Spend as much time as possible with positive individuals.
15. Focus on the positive qualities you possess so you can roll with changes.
Don’t deny there is change in your life and don’t blame someone or something else, it solves nothing. (Proverbs 3:5-6)
Pr. Bob Snitzer
By the Way: Sunday 29, 11:00 Church Picnic at Abele’s farm. 20621 440th St. Lake Mills
Sermon: And God Spoke 1 Kings 19:11-18
