Change is inevitable, except in vending machines.

"I am the LORD, and I do not change.” Malachi 3:6

“Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.” Lamentations 3:23

Yep, its one of those things that happens not when you least expect it but when you least want it.  When crazy change is all around us we look to Him who never changes.  Our stresses come and go.   We are up and down, things change for the good, things change for the bad, they always change…. But He doesn’t.  He never does.  He always was and always will be.  He is constant; we are not, we are finite, He is God and never changes.

Since change is here to stay, how do we deal with it?  It is better to learn to anticipate and adapt to change than to try to resist or alter it.  Flexibility is essential and helps one adapt with change.  However, if change is such a constant, how do we remain flexible but not lose sight of who we are or what we do?  Here are some quick thoughts to help us deal with things when they are not what we think they should be.

1.    Have the attitude of change.  Another way to say this is to change your attitude and welcome change.  Attitudes are not always easy to change but they are more valuable to us if we do.  Attitude is either your best friend or worst enemy so it makes sense to do whatever it takes to change our attitude for the good.

2.    Have good boundaries - since we know change is coming, build boundaries in your personal life to absorb them.  If we plan back to back to back, we allow little room for change, response or adaptation.  This should apply to work tasks, long term planning, family life and spiritual growth among others. 

3.    Be an optimist – Henry Ford said, “Think you can or think you can’t, either way you are right.”  Think right, think positive, think do it, get it done.  The “can do” attitude no matter the task is the person who gets the job done.  Strive to be the “can do” attitude person.

4.    Embrace it - find creative ways to like change.  Sometimes if you continue to push against something and it doesn’t move, you might ask if you need to pull. 

In the end, when it is all said and done, our problems will be gone.  Change will take place and things will be different; and depending on our choices, change should be for the better.  But we have confidence in this.  "I am the Alpha and the Omega—the beginning and the end," says the Lord God. "I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come—the Almighty One." Revelation 1:8