I used to struggle with change. I always liked having a routine and a plan and any type of deviation from my expectations would throw me off.

Of course, there are good changes such as having a child, buying a home, starting a new relationship, etc., but even with good changes comes a cost. When you have a child, for the first several months you’re giving up sleep and the freedom to do as you please. When you buy a house, you get the responsibility of all the maintenance that does not come with an apartment. Even when you find yourself starting a new relationship, there are costs that come with that because now you must be considerate of that other person’s feelings.

If you’re honest I am sure there are some changes that you are resisting making.  I was reading an article lately that talked about several reasons why people resist change and one of the main reasons was that people feel like when they have been doing something a certain way for a long period of time that it must be a good way to do things. In fact, the longer they have been doing a thing, the better they believe it is.

EVEN THE BIBLE SAYS THERE IS A SEASON AND A TIME FOR EVERYTHING

In Ecclesiastes we are told that “there is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” When I read that I feel like it is saying nothing lasts forever – even good things. I mean think about marriage vows that say, “till death do us part,” even the best marriage comes to an end when the two people die.

I know you may be thinking “well this is depressing” but I promise you I was not planning to write something depressing today so let me get to the point of this post because I promise it should give you some hope.

As someone who has been on this journey of discovering who I am in Christ, my life has seen a lot of changes internally and externally. Once I stopped resisting and accepted the changes, I realized that change was not as bad as I made it out to be and that it made my life less stressful and more peaceful. Therefore, I want to share some of the things you should expect to change as you navigate life and all that comes with it.

1: CHANGE OF RELATIONSHIPS

Sometimes this is the hardest change for people to accept. I don’t know about you, but I love the people in my life. I may not always agree with everything they do and say just like they don’t agree with me on everything, but we still love each other. However, something that I have learned the hard way is that just because I love you, it does not mean we have to walk this thing called life out together.

I am sure you have heard this saying before “everyone can’t go with you” and if you haven’t let me just sum it up in saying this, for many of us the plans that God has for our lives are so big that some people aren’t going to be able to see the vision. Yes, you could continue to keep them close to you but just think about it, do you really want someone close to you who keeps telling you why something can’t be done or that you’re crazy for believing the way you do?

I am not saying you just throw people away but what I am saying is that as you continue to grow in your walk with Christ you have to evaluate your relationships. Some people may move on with you, some people you may have to love from a distance and there will be some people you have to let go. God will show you who is who if you just ask.

2. CHANGE OF PRIORITIES

Many people are always talking about “back in the day.” I remember being told as a kid to not rush growing up because life was just so much easier as a child. However, looking at the world we live in today I am not so sure about that.

I understand now as an adult what adults back then meant. As we grow up and get older, with that comes responsibilities. For most kids, they don’t have to worry about too much because they know their parents will take care of everything. However once you become an adult, the responsibilities fall on you and your perspective changes on what really matters.

I will use myself as an example. I value time alone with God, time to study the word and time in prayer much more than I did when I was just going through the motions of going to church. I have come to see that the more I put God first (the person who created me), the more He reveals to me about myself and this I know for sure will be the same for you. As you begin to truly put God first and get your priorities in order, He will be the one to show you what you’re doing well and what may still need to change.

3. CHANGE OF CHARACTER

As much as I hate to admit this, this was the main area I needed to change and grow in. I was always so good at seeing where other people needed improvement and truthfully, I felt like I had my stuff together.

I feel like God has been performing heart surgery on me because He was showing me that I did not love people the way I should be loving them. I didn’t have the integrity that I thought I had, and I still struggled in the area of self-control. All these things play a part in who we are in Christ.  I don’t care what some people say – character matters A LOT.

The goal is for us to reflect Christ’s image to the world so anything that does not look like Him must go. Yes, there are plenty of people who are not loving, don’t have integrity and no self-control that may appear to be successful, but it is a heart issue, and I can guarantee you those people don’t have true peace or joy in their lives.

I want to encourage you to shift your perspective in looking at change as a good thing. I am not saying it’s an easy thing but it’s a necessary thing. This season should not look like last season and your next season should not look like this current season. 2 Corinthians 3:18 talks about God taking us from “one degree of glory to another” or “from glory to glory.” This scripture is basically saying that not only will we be free to see God’s glory, but we will begin to become God’s glory as we become more like Christ. The amazing thing about this is that this is not something we are expected to do in our own strength, but instead the Holy Spirit enables us to make any and every change we could possibly need in our lives.

I hope that this gives you some peace knowing that there will be relationships that may need to change in your life, priorities that need to be rearranged and some character traits that could use some “tweaking,” but that you don’t have to handle it alone. The Holy Spirit is going to help you with ALL of that. You don’t have to be afraid of changing seasons or changing anything for that matter because every change made for Christ is a good change!