Mastering Unexpected Change Part 2

MASTERING UNEXPECTED CHANGE Part 2
By Dane Skelton
In 2003, my daughters had a funny lesson on the inevitability of change. Their uncle Mike had given them a gift, a whole box of VHS tapes containing 144 episodes of Star Trek the Next Generation. The videos dated back into the 1980’s so watching them was like being in a time machine for commercials. But what really tickled the funny bone was seeing an ad for a brand new 1989 Chevy truck on Tuesday night, and then standing at the bus stop Wednesday morning, watching that same truck with fourteen years and 175,000 miles on it go by. “It’s a heap!” They cried. Talk about a lesson on the inevitability of change!

Change is inevitable. It’s how we meet it that matters. The one luxury we cannot afford is to assume it will not touch us and refuse to prepare for it. And that’s a hard one. We work hard at creating stability and predictability so that we can enjoy life with the least amount of hassle. We are control oriented. Unexpected change upsets the apple cart, reveals our lack of control and makes us feel naked in the cosmos.

The Bible is full of examples of God’s people meeting unexpected change. One of those is Joshua. Consider the changes that Joshua had witnessed or been part of: Deliverance from slavery in Egypt; A miraculous escape across the Red Sea; The Ten Commandments and finally the wandering in the wilderness.

All these changes across forty years Joshua had witnessed but they paled in comparison to what he was about to do. He was about to lead the people of God into the Promised Land itself, he was facing the walls of Jericho and he was doing it without his mentor and friend, Moses.

God had two specific commands for Joshua as he took up the challenge of this change. You can see them in Joshua 1:7-8.

7) Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. 8) Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. (NIV)

God’s instructions for Joshua work for us as well: The first lesson for facing unexpected change is: ‘be strong and courageous.’ The world is a difficult place, our challenges are great, and sometimes we have to meet them without the people we have come to depend on. We need strength and courage for the battle.

The second lesson is: stick to your core principles (Vs. 8). When the walls in front of you are thick and the danger is high – when the change you are faced with seems unmanageable - it’s tempting to forget your core commitments and do something expedient. God warns us: “Don’t fall for it.” Strength and courage in the service of those principles enable us to adjust our approach to meet the need at hand. Trust God and obey what you know. He will manage the rest.

 Change is inevitable. We can prepare for it or be overwhelmed by it.
 Those manage change best whose principles are changeless.
 Those manage change best who trust that God is still at work in unwanted change.
 Those manage change best who meet it with a positive attitude.