I hate change. I hate it when I return home and a piece of furniture is rearranged. I hate leaving somewhere I love when I travel. I hate trying something new when I know I like my usual far better than whatever this newfangled thing is. I (generally) hate new haircuts. And I espeically hate when people change.
Everything has a common denomenator here: I hate it because it's new and I miss the old. I miss my dresser in that specific corner. I miss the beach in the morning. I miss the taste of the Latte of Joy when I order something different and it's not as good. I miss my old pencil case, my old jeans, my old haircolor (this one is definitely justifiable especially when you accidentally dye it too dark). And I miss my friend(s) before fill in the blank with whatever happened.
I was currently writing out a list of resolutions for 2016, and one of them is literally titled, "Say it with me: Change is our friend." I told myself I will say it whenever something changes. Ehck. We'll see how that goes.
So why do we avoid change? Isn't change supposed to be good? This I had to dig further to find some concrete truth, and where else does one look for truth other than the Good Book.
Ecclesiastes 3:1 "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven"
Deuteronomy 31:6 "Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you."
1 Corinthians 15:51 "Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed."
James 1:17 "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change."
I found one common denominator in all these verses that had referance to change in them: The only change that will not occur in your life is God. God will never change. He is exactly the same today as He was yesterday, the day before that, a thousand years before now and will be the same a thousand years after now.
In an effort to make some good changes in my life this upcoming year (2016 I see you and I wanna take you by the reins!), in diet, friendship, spiritual, mental, and general life, I already started by doing some things that may make me purposefully a little uncomfortable (at least for now). I moved a bit of furniture in my room (this one usually makes my skin crawl), but I like it better already. I'm getting rid of clothes that don't have any use to me anymore (plus I know people who will appreciate them, double score!). I'm taking down old photos and putting up new ones. I'm prepping myself mentally for a new way of school this fall. I'm redecorating. And most importantly, I'm mentally moving on from a broken relationship.
Now the flipside to change is something I also think about. I like thinking about my future, as scary as that can be sometimes. It makes me excited to think about 1 year from now, or 5. Even 6 months from now is a good thought to chew on.
Holding on to memories is good. But getting caught up and trying to live in them is another thing. For sure I love thinking of old times, and who doesn't? They remind us of the good in our lives and the people we count on. I have a whole jar that holds slips of paper that have memories on them. I call it the Good Times Jar, and at the end of the year (or whenever I need a smile), I go through and read them. It's a sure way to remember, well, good times :). But my whole life isn't in that jar; surely there are many other great times I didn't record. Those are just for my memory.
What do we fear, but finds us no matter where we hide? What lurks around the corner of each new dawn, but we can't always see? What do we desire but cannot always attain? What crawls into our lives even if we airtight ourselves to keep it out? Change is the answer to all these riddles.
I will like change and it will be good! I will try new things. I will be more adventurous. And who knows, maybe I'll put that blue streak in my hair I've been daydreaming about (MAYBE).
I have dubbed myself with what I call a "Queen Elsa" mentality this year. Let it go. The past is in the past. And the cold never bothered me anyway (I haven't fully figured out a metaphor for that one yet but I'm going to:). Time to move on. Time for a change.
Ask yourself: What do I need to let go of? What needs to change? And how can I change it?
Best of luck to you in your endeavors of change this year!!
Here's to not just a breath, but a gust of fresh air in 2016,
Chris x
