The only constant is change

I think I hate change. I think I hate disruption in my patterns and routines. My fantasy thinking is there should be no change.

Yet, change is constant. Our bodies changes on the cellular level constantly. As I age, I grouse about the changes I feel on a bigger level in my body. Still, I hate change and I have to deal with change.

Major shifts can happen in our lives about every 18 months. I still hate change.

Change is also at a larger scale and we need to recognize it. Every generation.

In my lifetime the constant growing up was the Cold War. Then, the Soviet Union collapsed.

A constant was the security blanket of being in the United States, which never got attacked within its borders. Then, 9/11 happened.

A constant in economics was fluctuation in the markets, but you could generally count on investing in real estate because that is a sure thing. Then 2008 happened.

A constant in culture was the ability to solve problems and use the knowledge, science, and wisdom we had to tackle potential problems like medical crises. Then… COVID.

Each of those changes led to major shifts in how each us lived life.

Change is the only constant.

So, here I am in this space of change. I am diving deep into thinking about my “last third” of life. It is uncomfortable and challenging… and necessary. This particular space began a major shift five years ago. I’m such a slow learner!

But here is an advantage: the shifts have perspective AS they happen and then AFTER they happen. We often get the gift of looking back. I look back on these 5 years and I begin to understand far more. I begin to see where the Lord has taught me, shifted me, placed me, and while I am still chafing under a lot of this transition, I find grace and humility and thankfulness.

Mentally I still cling to the myth of “constancy.” Spiritually, I am more aware of change that must constantly keep me in motion and challenging me to grow in new ways I never imagined.