A Measure of Loss
When change happens, there’s always an element of loss no matter how slight. When I left teaching, I lost my students. When I moved, I left friends behind. When I changed churches, I missed my brothers and sisters in Christ. And when I left a ministry where I worked, I missed the daily interaction of my former colleagues. Though each of these was a good change, a needed change, a healthy change, there was still an adjustment to be made.
In any kind of change, you are leaving behind the known and are expected to embrace the unknown. That’s not easy. It’s often scary. And it’s never comfortable. Every change brings a new direction, a new perspective, and if you let it, a greater faith. Yet every change also brings a measure of loss.
You lose independence and your singleness when you marry. You lose freedom, time, and all kinds of other things when you have a baby. Then, as that baby grows, each age and stage brings boatloads of changes, sometimes multiple times a day! No wonder a mother feels undone when her child enters school or a father freaks out when his daughter has her first date.
So when does change end? Never! The ancient philosopher, Heraclitus, accurately reminded us that, “Nothing is permanent except change.” So why do we have such a love/hate relationship with change? Because any change feels uncomfortable at best.
Whenever we are out of our comfort zone, it’s usually not fun. Something as simple as a snowstorm, a new school year, a bout of the flu, or a home remodeling project can send a family into transition, and the unexpected often takes us by surprise. Yet it’s how we handle that change is important to God and to those around us. After all, our children are watching, and they are learning how you deal with change, with loss, and with transition.
How have you dealt with change lately? I’d love to know.
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I have learned to deal with loss by beginning with identifying that I have suffered a loss and need to go through the stages of grief to overcome it. Accepting that, and recognizing each stage as I pass through it, helps me to make a conscious choice to depend on God through each step.