Dealing With Change

Our lives change like the seasons. Dealing with change can be challenging. Especially when we find that our "spring" is turning into a hot, dry "summer" or a cold, dead "winter".



Just as in nature, we are often dealing with change in what we experience. There is a continuous rhythm and cycle.

On Life's Mountaintop

Freedom - Overcoming - Growing - Maturing - Blossoming - On fire - Prospering - Reaching your peak

We feel like we are on a mountaintop when things are going well, in a valley when things are all wrong, in a desert when we need refreshing, or even desperately drowning in an ocean when we feel like we’ve lost grip.

Looking back in the year 2000, my adult life began with a drowning in the ocean experience and then a mountaintop experience.

My first ocean experience was when I got married and struggled with depression, fear, anger, and other emotions and destructive attitudes and ways of thinking.

My mountaintop season started when I began to trust Jesus with my sin and brokenness. He gave me freedom, assurance of everlasting life, peace, purpose, passion, power, marital success, and brought me up from the pit I was in.

In January 2002, we began to attend a spirit-filled church and, as we matured, became active in ministry and leadership.

Everything fell into place. We knew what we were supposed to be doing and we were doing it.

I had been through a "wilderness/winter" experience already and now that I was in a good, prosperous season, I figured that things would only continue to get better.

In my head, I knew better than to assume that. But without notice, I would soon be dealing with change and become very familiar with pain and despair all over again.

The only difference was that this time around, I had firm faith and a strong relationship with the Lord to carry me through. It was different because I knew that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.

However, I still had to learn some very tough lessons because I wanted the whole world to know that I was not amused or pleased with the new arrangements! My heart was rebelling against the one person who could help me, God. My physical heart and body has paid for it, too, because of general anxiety disorder.

Dealing with change during those trials, I reverted back to my old ways of dealing with extreme pain and stress. I sank into a deep pit of self-pity and was constantly "running" from my circumstances and would not accept them. The sorrow and anxiety I felt were much too heavy a burden, because I chose to carry them myself.

It was the same pit that I wrote about in my book in 2003 (published when I was 20 years old) saying, "I was in a deep pit and never want to go back there again." Well, hellooooo, pit!

Thinking of that season, let’s look further along into my journey and see what happened to bring me into a new season of life.

Valley

Deprived - In danger Hopeless - Lonely - Low



Desert

Dry - Intense heat/cold - Expansive - Wilderness - Helpless - Uninhabited Deserted - Left alone

From the Vines Dictionary: "The wilderness does not always denote a barren region, void of vegetation; it is often used of a place uncultivated (undeveloped), but fit for pasturage."

The wilderness is a time in your life when you need to pursue that growth and success that perhaps before came easy to you. When you were surrounded with encouragement, support, and everything was fresh and exciting, you had strong hunger and energy to grow and develop.

When I first committed my ways to the Lord, I was driven to grow and to know Him. When I found that I had to pursue God all over again after having known, loved, and served Him, in a way it become more difficult.

Sometimes, it can be hard to do something or go through a process a second time because you know too well how to do it. You tend to rush the desired or expected results and are tempted to walk by sight instead of by faith.

Let me explain. I can recall some of the steps that my husband and I took as we grew in the Lord in Idaho and some of the ways we served.

Here in Texas, while feeling disoriented, we felt like it was time to implement those steps - on our own. We attempted to re-create our past success.

It never seemed to work out.

You see, being active in the church and feeling like everything was simple and in place was familiar and comfortable to us. When we entered into a new season in our walk with God, we realized that He was stretching us yet again.

Dealing with change like this is like being paralyzed and learning to walk and talk again. We don't want to start out slow again. We've been there and done that and want to zoom ahead to where we want to be, where we should be.

But, God wants us to learn something new and continue molding us. He is working and moving and trying to birth something out of you again.

We tend to try to follow our past “road map” to success and fail to use God’s new road map to a new success in a new season. God will do a new thing. Isaiah 42:9

Rock Bottom

In 2005, six weeks after the birth of our daughter, my husband separated from the military and we embarked on a new life. We assumed that the transition from our military life to civilian life would be a piece of cake. It turned about to be an emotional and spiritual mud pie in the bottom of a valley.

Even though it was exciting to be with family, I found dealing with change overwhelming and stressful. Though we had every provision we needed (shelter, food, vehicle, job, etc.), I just never could accept all the changes.

It was more than I could bear alone. Honestly, from the first night, I just wanted to go back home — to my comfortable life in Idaho.

I felt like I had lost a loved one. I was in a continuous state of grieving over my old life. Our beloved church, friends, the beautiful, mountainous outdoors, and military life.

I became parched and famished, aimless and powerless… like a lonely wanderer in a desert. Or a flower, once blossoming and bearing fruit, now wilting from lack of life-giving nutrients.

All doors seemed closed and all hopes shattered. BUT, I know that through it all, my Lord was there.

Pass The Test

My time on the mountaintop built a firm foundation of faith that I would need to be able to go through this season and that nothing has been able to destroy. It’s been shaken or challenged from time to time, but has held tight and has not been destroyed.

What I’m trying to remind you of is that these trials are all a part of the seasons we go through.

As a Christian, my faith is tested and tried in order to put patience into work, so that I may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

Dealing with change is a part of life. If I could encourage you, I'd tell you to lean on God and not on your own understanding.

Give your plans and dreams over to Him. Give generously to Him. Freely give to other people what God has given to you (forgiveness, grace, mercy, love, encouragement, provision). Not just during the bad times, but also during the good times.

I encourage you to have a relationship with God and to know Him personally. Not to, in effect, try to have a series of "one night stands" with Him when you're desperate. No. He's interested in a life-long commitment and intimate relationship with you.

What you do while dealing with change in the wilderness determines how long you stay there. Pass the test.

I have felt many things over the years, but the undying words that I keep on my lips are “Father, I love you and I trust you.”

I may have stumbled around in the wilderness longer than I needed to, but I'm still here! I am determined to finish my race with endurance!

Drowning In The Ocean

Sinking - Uncommon predators - Expansive - Treading water

In 2008, I made a list of all the changes I had experienced since moving to Texas that I felt added significant stress to my life. This was following a period of roughly two years of dealing with change and extreme stress with progressively worsening symptoms of anxiety. I listed nearly 30 changes and experiences.

I felt like I had lost grip. At this point my life was consumed by general anxiety disorder.

My thoughts frequently drifted off of my Lord and onto what I wanted or wish I had. My heart was distracted and my sight was off target.

My life, as far as my extreme anxiety, was changed after a brief prayer and internet search on anxiety. I found a product called Panic Away. I thought about it for one day and then made my move to buy it. It was the solution I needed.

Getting rid of of my overwhelming anxiety cleared up my thinking and my life. Sometimes God helps us directly, but let's not overlook the indirect help He gives us. Like the help we receive from other people when we are dealing with change in life.

Above all, it was my relationship with God and constant determination to trust Him and see life from His perspective that propels me through the waves of life when I'm dealing with change and trials. Only now I can ride the waves instead of being tossed and suffocated by them.

“If the mountain you are climbing were smooth, you wouldn’t be able to climb it.”

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