The Inevitability of Change

    

One of my favorite things about fall is the trees changing colors. Red, yellow, orange, and purple leaves litter the ground; some star shaped, other rounder. It's safe to say fall is my favorite time of year. 

    However, this year looks a little different. I don't come home with my sisters at the end of a school day, and smell the soup my mom has cooking for dinner. I can't sit on the couch with my parents after dinner and talk about my day. I don't get to drive to school every morning and watch the leaves slowly change color and fall off the trees. It's different. 

    Along with the beautiful colors, fall symbolizes change. The changing of the seasons, your surroundings, and maybe even your life. 

    Maybe this year looks a little different for you too; maybe this is the first time you're experiencing change by yourself. Maybe it's the passing of a family member, or you're living on your own. You might have lost some friends, or gained some new ones. 

    The point is, life changes; it's inevitable. Change is always going to come, whether you want it to or not. It probably won't be in the way you want either. Two years ago this fall, my family and I packed up and left the only town I could really remember. It was terrifying, but also invigorating. Everything was changing, and it was changing fast. You can't postpone you life changing, it's going to catch up with you eventually.

    So at this point, you're faced with two options:

    1. Resist the change
        If you choose this option, you can try with everything you have to avoid life changing. Maybe it's saying no to a job opportunity, even though you know it would be better for you in the long run. If you try to resist change, you might feel worse. Actually, there's a pretty good chance you'll feel pretty bad. The opportunity you said no to might haunt you forever, and you're always going to think about what it might have been like if you hadn't resisted. Instead of being miserable, you could think about the next option.

 

2. Embrace the change

    Yes, it's certainly going to be easier to complain and groan about it, but it won't make you feel any better. By dwelling on the negativity, you're only furthering your bad mood. When you truly embrace change, beautiful things can happen. It's certainly not going to be easy, but it's going to be worth it. Coming from someone who's experienced more change in the past two years than I ever thought I would, it's definitely worth it. Even though it's scary and new, try to embrace the change, and find the good in the little things. 

    The Lord gives and takes away, but He does it for our betterment. It's easy to get mad and blame God for things not going the way you want them to, but it's so much better to trust that His plan is better than yours. Though everything around you might change, the Lord remains the same.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Hebrews 13:8