Tag Archives: Change

Ch, Ch, Ch, Changes (Part 2)

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Last week I wrote about changes. (Read part 1 here: Ch, Ch, Ch, Changes)

This week I’m trying to answer a question put to me by one of you.

At the end of last week’s post, I asked you a few questions.

How do we adjust? When things are changing, what do you hold on to? Is there something in your life keeping you stabilized during changes?

One of you decided to be smart and ask ME to answer the same questions. Seems logical. I probably should have answered them in the initial post. But hey, now I get two posts from one topic! 🙂

I guess the simple answer is I hold on to my relationship with God.

And while this is true, it kind of feels like the Sunday School answer. You know what I mean. Every question in Sunday School can be answered the same way: JESUS!

(Side note. When I teach middle school Sunday School classes, I tell the kids they aren’t allowed to used this answer. It may be true, but they can come up with something better.)

As I’ve been wrestling with these questions, I keep circling back to another set of questions. Am I really holding onto God during changes in my life? Am I really giving my struggles to him? Am I really grabbing hold of him to stabilize my life?

The answer? Sometimes.

Sometimes???

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Yep. I’m a failure. I don’t always hold onto, and rely on, my relationship with God.

Good grief. What’s the matter with me? Why wouldn’t I rest all my worry and stress on the rock of my faith? Why don’t I spend time with him every single day discussing situations and life with him?

Simple answer: I’m a sinner.

I fall short. Every single day.

But, every single day I have the opportunity to restore and renew my relationship with God.

Every single day he is waiting for me. He is willing to listen, and ready to help.

So I guess I am going with the Sunday School answer.

How do I adjust? What do I hold on to? Where do I find stability during times of change?

God. Jesus. My Savior.

 

Change My Whole Life

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Noah at HSP 2013

“What would it look like to change my WHOLE LIFE?”

A few months ago I jotted those words in my journal.

A few weeks later, during a counseling session, I was told to throw that idea out the window. My whole life didn’t need a change. Many times we get hung up on the BIG HUGE changes we think are necessary to be successful in life. The problem with this thinking is we forget to take into account all the parts of our life that are good. Our fallen, simple, minds tend to dwell on the problems and conflicts we experience. We forget about the good.

Two percent. That’s all we need. That’s all I need. 2% can be HUGE. 2% can be significant.

Do I need to change EVERYTHING in my life? No. If I set out to change everything about my life I would lose and discard so many good things. Changing everything doesn’t look too good when I take the time to ponder what it would look like. I would need to leave my family. Well that settles it pretty quickly. I’m not going to change everything. I like my family. I want to keep them in my life.

What else does ‘everything’ encompass?

Do I want to change my job? Yes. No. Maybe. In the now legendary words of Jenny Acuff, “income helps”.

Do I want to live elsewhere? No. I enjoy living in West Michigan. My boys like their schools.

How about hobbies? I like to play golf. Should I give that up? NO WAY! Food, vehicles, clothing, hair style, etc.

Some of you may want to change everything I’ve mentioned above, but I’m sure if you took the time to look at your life, you would find numerous aspects to deem off-limits to change.

2%. Let’s get back to this small number.

Would changing 2% of your life make an impact on, well, everything? I say yes. Here’s why.

Apollo 13. April, 1970. 2%. The Apollo 13 astronauts had a miniscule window to hit in order to successfully re-enter Earth’s atmosphere. If they weren’t within the window, they would burn up or skip off the atmosphere and out into space with no hope of return. 2%. How could such a small number make such a HUGE difference? Earth’s pretty big. How difficult could it be to splash that capsule down in the ocean? Pretty darn difficult for a regular person. Thankfully, Jim Lovell, his crew mates Fred Haise and John Swigert, and the man left behind, Jim Mattingly, were not regular people. Training matters. These gentlemen and the dozens of people helping, knew what needed to be done. And, they knew how small the window was for success.

2%

Small changes in direction have potential for causing significant change.

Small changes to multiple areas of life, implemented over months and years, can have a significant impact on the trajectory of your life and the lives of those around you. Taking the initiative to make a small change in direction is important for growth and improvement. I’ve been working toward significant change in the direction of my life. I experienced a huge change in the spring of 2013. Since then, I’ve worked on many small areas of my life. Small, seemingly insignificant changes you may or may not see in me if you know me well. Trust me. Small can be big. Ask my family. They’ll tell you.

More and more small changes are in store for me.

What changes are in store for you? Where is the 2% in your life?

Let me know in the comments below. Join the conversation!

#Next3Decades