I turned 43 last week. 43! I know, I can’t believe it either. 😉 I remember being in my early twenties after being recently diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis and fretting over being in my forties having to maneuver life in a wheel chair.
Grace be to GOD miracles do take place in our every day and I am as fit as I’ve ever been! I’d like to say I’m running marathons but after the only 1/2 marathon I did when I was 40 I was told by my doctor I was not ‘allowed’ to run more than three – four miles at a time anymore because of a bulging disc. (Darn… 😉 )
For the past three years I’ve been in complete remission from RA… how? Not quite sure, it could be a multiple of factors: Diet (more veggies, less fast food), Weight training (with any arthritis we need to keep moving), and a dip in the healing waters of Lourdes (if you haven’t heard of Lourdes, feel free to read about this the awesome young woman, St. Bernadette and Lourdes, France HERE with an open mind…everything is ONLY BY GOD’S GRACE and OUR FAITH IN HIM)….
I digress…the point is there is always change. One minute our life is going smoothly and the next you get a frightening medical diagnosis, or a loved one becomes unstable, or there is an accident that changes the course of life in a second… OR positive changes take place like promotions in jobs, growth in the family, or a life-long accomplishment is finally fulfilled.
Life is not meant to remain stagnant – how boring would that be?
But, if you are like me, when change comes around it is difficult to embrace right off the bat. Even if it is something good and positive, change forces a course direction in the everyday routine (both physically and emotionally/mentally) and for a Type A control person like me, I rely on my ‘routine’ to keep me sane and on track. 🙂
So what do I do when change comes around? I wish I were that awesome person that is like, “I EMBRACE IT HEAD ON!” yeah yeah yeah whatever. We all have someone we love in our life that is that person, or maybe you are and GREAT for you! Embrace the love I’m sending your way! 😉 BUT that’s not me.
No, I’m more of the person that has to let the immediate or impending change ‘settle’ a bit. Depending on its nature (good or bad) I might allow an immediate response surface (tears, joy, fear, uncertainty, anger, etc) but I’ve come to learn to not wade in that response for too long especially if it is of a difficult nature.
Regardless, I have to allow myself to take a moment and figure out what this means for me personally. What is God doing in this change that is forming me? And if I can’t pinpoint it immediately can I muster the courage it takes to honor God in this change and trust the truth that He hasn’t let me down so far, why would He now?
This year my son, Ryan, will be graduating high school. I have the next 9 or so months to allow this ‘change’ of life to sink in and at the moment it is starting out as a tiny ripple in my serene pool of comfortable family life. For brief moments the enemy might sneak in and I start in with the unforeseens: “Will he ever come home to visit?” or “Will we still talk?” But I quickly squash them…that’s not of God. And, if I’m so worried about that then I have 9 months to fortify our relationship to make sure it doesn’t happen! 😉
Another change I have coming is through Hopeful Hearts Ministry …. I can’t reveal it just yet but it’s a GOOD and POSITIVE change. More like an addition that God has quite literally opened the door to and said, “Step in and trust me.” I won’t announce it until I have a better idea of the scope of this change. I’m in my ‘wading’ period.
So for me, change is a coming whether I like it or not. How about you? Are you facing changes in the near future? How are you choosing to handle them?
The pressure can be on, but we all know when that happens God is making diamonds out of us. And I choose to sparkle!
Blessings
Shannon
It’s almost here!!! REDEEMED in paperback and eBook!!! September 12th!
