Navigating Change

Change comes in all shapes and sizes. From moving cities, countries and continents, Phil and I have navigated some significant changes since we were married 11 years ago.

We’ve moved house 17 times and just hit the longest amount of time in one city, if not one house, at all of 3 years. We’ve juggled changing jobs, multiple jobs, or no jobs at all. We’ve held weight in church, right at the front, behind the scenes, and had seasons of rest.

In all that time, I’ve noticed that transitions are key. A rough transition can knock you for six, taking you right off course and struggling to adjust; yet a good transition can set you up for a flying start in your new chapter. But the word ‘change’ has so many implications, knowing how to transition well can change with each situation or season in life, and while there’s no one set of rules, I’ve noticed some themes, themes that I would like to think have set me up to transition better.

Vision

Know where you’re going and why – Proverbs 29:18 says ‘without

vision people perish’ (KJV), or as the NIVUK translation says ‘where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint’ (NIVUK).

I’ve seen the truth of this play out in my life. Phil and I, like many people, have led small groups within church, and in some seasons it’s almost become a duty, rather than a privilege, to be entrusted with pastoral care of others. And when that happens, it feels unrestrained, chaotic even, like it’s going nowhere fast. In those seasons, re-defining what we value in our groups has allowed us to adjust where we’re headed, to know what to change or keep, because we know what we’re aiming for. ‘Perishing’ may seem an extreme result of not having defined vision, but it’s in these unrestrained seasons that we become disillusioned more easily, where people’s engagement drops off, and you could say that both we and the group perish a little.

But it doesn’t have to be big or grand, moving jobs or cities, or changing a leadership direction – we recently decided to change our toilet paper brand, as ridiculous as it sounds. At the beginning of 2020 we decided to each month make a practical, positive change that would add up to a life better lived by the end of the year. The cost of the loo roll doubled, required significant outlay but the environmental benefits and product quality made the pricier loo roll worth switching to! Vision can help you decide whether the cost is worth it. Even a glimmer of why you’re changing something will push you to complete it.

Flexibility

Vision is consistent; the method can change - I’ve seen this modelled by excellent leaders around me for years. Don’t be afraid to try something new. Whether it’s instantly a rip-roaring success, or a lesson in what not to do, step out in something new, take the risk and try it. For me, this is one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned in parenting so far. I’m no expert, but I have a wonderful community of women around me who will suggest what’s worked for them, and are also gracious if I choose not to use their methods. Learning that one size does not fit all, that it’s okay to try one thing and then another, helps reduce stress when you realise change is needed. Holding onto the vision will keep you level headed while you navigate these shifts, but accepting, even embracing the need for change will help keep you sane.

Action

God directs your STEPS – I’ve heard it preached more than once, we can pray so long and hard for God to give us every single step of the journey ahead that we don’t ever actually go anywhere. Proverbs 16:9 says: ‘A man’s mind plans his way (as he journeys through life), but the Lord directs his steps and establishes them.’ (AMP) When we’re spending time with Jesus, loving him and loving others, we can trust that our decisions won’t be awful, but this verse further encourages us that God will bring us into line with him as we move. Don’t wait until everything is perfect before setting a change in motion. Step out in faith, and trust that the Holy Spirit

within you will help you start well, and that God is big enough to change your course along the way.

Keep going

Mountain-top moments are where we get excited and motivated about where we’re going, but to get to the next mountain top, you must go back down into the valley. Valleys are rich with life and nourished by rain, but they’re not our end goal. There’s no panoramic views of the mountain top and we can get distracted from what we set out to do. Valleys can be hard seasons too, places we can’t see God or hear his voice as clearly, so during transitions, keep going, don’t get stuck in the valley. Don’t let one part of the journey become the finishing line and miss out on the greatness of the next mountaintop God has planned for you.

Choose trust

If God brought you into it, he can take you out of it. Sometimes as Christians we think that if we’ve felt God’s lead into a new thing, then that’s where we’re to stay. But how reassuring is it, as children of God, to know that our ever-loving Father can both bring us into places and seasons, and also take us out of them. When we partner with God, and commit to look at each situation with the perspective of seeing what we can learn from it, we will make the most of every season. It takes a choice to trust, and it certainly takes a choice to find good in difficult transitions. To quote the philosopher Heraclitus, ‘The only thing that is constant is change.’ We know change will always come, but to quote Isaiah 43, ‘When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy one of Israel, your Saviour; ...do not be afraid, for I am

Whatever changes you face, remember that the Lord your God is with you.

“A good transition can set you up for a flying start in

your new chapter.

with you’

Beth Parkinson 700 Club UK Host