What do I do with change?

Life has a way of teaching us things we need to know. From our first experience of touching the red hot stove, to learning the hard way about obeying the speed limit, there seems to be a never ending opportunity for learning.One of the great teachers in life: CHANGE.We have all heard the cliche one too many times: "The only thing consistent in life is change."If you're anything like me, you maybe find yourself okay with the idea of change, until something you didn't want to change ends up...changing.Have you been there?Maybe you're there right now?In my own life there have been multiple seasons of change. There have been things that I have faced that I wasn't expecting and didn't sign up for. As I have looked back over these moments, I realize that without Jesus they could have easily crushed me. I've learned through multiple seasons of change that God is both GOOD and FAITHFUL - no matter what the circumstances might look like or feel like.Here is the question: What do I do with change?[quote align="center" color="#999999"]What do I do with change?[/quote]I believe that change in our lives can be a powerful teacher if we allow it to be.

Here are 4 lessons that change can teach us:

Change is a reminder that we are not in control.Right off the top, I believe this is why change is so difficult for all of us. We are reminded that there are things that are out of our control. And if we are willing to be honest with ourselves, none of us enjoy the feeling of not being in control. We all like things a specific way. We all have preferences. We all know that Jesus has a favorite football team (Go Seahawks!).But every now and then, change shows up to teach us in a fresh way that we are not always in control.Change is an opportunity to examine what you really want.Another way change can be a teacher to us is allowing us to come to a place where we examine our real desires. When we don't get what we want we can expect to experience disappointment or pain. It is how we are all wired. Change can, at times, work like a filter to reveal what we really want.Change is a gift to look within and see what is there.Change can become an opportunity to look within. This is hard in the midst of change, because often the change that we encounter is dealing with circumstances on the OUTSIDE, not on the INSIDE. Sometimes, when we are forced to look within, it doesn't feel like a gift. But if we are going to learn and grow we must be willing to face what is going on internally.Change creates an environment to expose where our hope truly resides.One of the things that can make change so hard is that it creates an environment that reveals where our hope is placed. It isn't bad to place hope in people, your job, your family or your friendships. But if that is the source of your ultimate hope, when change happens it has the opportunity to crush you. As followers of Jesus, our Hope is rooted in Him. He is the One Thing that never changes! Let your HOPE be rooted in Him. Here is the point: Life is going to bring change.[quote align="center" color="#999999"]Life is going to bring change.[/quote]As uncomfortable, unexpected, painful or even frustrating as it is, allow change to be a teacher in your life that moves you toward Jesus instead of away from Him.