Remember This When You Find Change Difficult

Last month I said goodbye to an old friend. Our relationship had lasted five years.

The separation wasn’t easy. We had many enjoyable times over the years: vacations, concerts, long conversations, game nights, and shopping trips (lots of those!) We would even shop for groceries together. 

The partnership was happy, content. Drama and stress-free. 

Breaking up didn’t seem like it should be a possibility. Considering our time together, plus surviving a pandemic, how could I give up?

Strains on the relationship began with the signs of age. Things were slowing down. There was less energy for tasks, which required more time to rest. Maybe with fewer demands and requirements, it would be okay. It was my wise husband who convinced me it was time for a change. Yes, trying something new is often challenging, but I realized it was time for goodbye. 

Now I’m in a new relationship. My comrade is smaller yet energetic and quite stylish in metallic rose. New features and more assistance are offered, with promises of more memorable adventures in the future. I have adapted just fine. I just needed a little push.  

I’m still learning the new features of my new iPhone 12 Mini and what it can do for me. It required me to step out of a comfortable routine into something that has turned out be a positive change. Any skepticism has disappeared, and I’ve adapted just fine. I only needed a little push.

To everything, there is a season.

Giving up on something we find comfortable is difficult, even if what is waiting for us around the corner is better. Self-doubt hinders us from receiving blessings over the horizon. Instead, we need to grasp present opportunities to continue learning, growing, and advancing. That is not to say taking a new direction is always easy and carefree. Your best life cannot happen until you step out of your comfort zone. Instead of struggling with the past, use that struggle for moving forward.

“Undertake something that is difficult; it will do you good.
Unless you try to do something beyond what you
 have already mastered, you will never grow.”
– Ronald E. Osborn, author of The Faith We Affirm

In the Bible, Isaiah, a prophet and preacher, was experiencing self-doubt, even though he was following the path God wanted him to take: preach to the Israelites, sharing God’s message of redemption.

But no one was listening.

At the time, the people of the nation of Israel were displaced from their land, conquered by other kingdoms because of their disobedience. After years of exile, they missed Israel’s old glory days. Yet, they only made themselves comfortable in their situation and acclimated to their new location.

However, God had a message he wanted Isaiah to tell the Israelites:

“Forget the former things;
    do not dwell on the past.
See, I am doing a new thing!
    Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
    and streams in the wasteland.
– Isaiah 43:18-19 (NIV)

God wanted Isaiah to remind Israel of the Lord’s faithfulness. Israel was exiled because of their disobedience, but now God desired the Israelites to return to Him. God wanted to bless them but wasn’t able to do so unless the Israelites stopped dwelling on the past. Instead, they needed to focus on God’s faithfulness and His promise of imminent redemption and eventual victory. They could trust God’s best for their future. They only had to accept it.

Today, when we live with comfort and routine, worry and stress-free, we accept it as a blessing. But what would happen if instead, you asked God to show His faithfulness and provide what is even better for you?

Any changes you make will no doubt be challenging. However — taking the next step doesn’t only cause circumstances to change – what happens will change you. It will stretch you, mold you, and improve you.

It’s time to do the “new thing.” Consider this your little push.