Change is Stressful

Change is Stressful
by Laura MacCorkle

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
Matthew 11:28-30, NIV

"Change is stressful."

I remember my very first boss saying that to me when the direct marketing agency we worked for was undergoing massive restructuring within the various divisions.

It felt like the staff had been thrown into a giant grab bag and then dumped back out.  However we landed was where (and with what teams of people) we now worked. 

It was ultimately change for the better, but he was right. It was stressful. Figuratively speaking, "dust" that had settled was then being disrupted and wafting about the air causing many of us discomfort as we sneezed and hacked and scratched at our irritated eyes. Why do we have to change? Why do I have to work with this person now? God, I was very comfortable and doing so great with the way things were before. So why are you disrupting my life now?

It didn't take me long to get over this change, however. Really, it was more annoying than anything else - unlike other changes in our lives that we would probably all agree are automatically "good" things: a new job, getting married, having a baby, etc. Yet, even these types of changes can bring about stress as well as our worlds take on new landscapes.

At the other end of the spectrum, other life changes can be extremely painful for us. Death, moving far away, loss of employment, divorce, disease. Lord, how can this possibly be good? It hurts so much. Why would you purpose this for me? What did I do wrong?

In hindsight, I can see how God has caused all types of changes in my life to effect growth and open doors to new opportunities. Sometimes the changes pained me beyond measure and other times they just kept me awake at night with nervous excitement. But through it all, there was beauty that resulted and the Lord helped me to give him the glory and the strength to make it through all circumstances (Phil. 4.11-3).

Wherever you are today or whenever you are reading this, I'm ninety-nine percent sure that you are going through some sort of change in your life right now. I am, too. 

You may be very cognizant of it. It may have you feeling over the moon. Or it may hurt like the dickens. Or the change may be so slow-going and so subtle, that you may not even know you are undergoing it. But whatever it may be, what is most important is how you and I respond to what God is doing in our lives. 

Resolve to take Jesus' yoke upon yourself. Give the change you're undergoing to him. As we seek him, learn from him and how we can follow him in our daily living, he will be with us. He may not give us the answers we're looking for or resolve our situations right away. But rest assured, he will surely undergird us and give us strength and joy as we go through whatever change he has ordained in our lives.

Intersecting Faith & Life: Weary. Burdened. Is that how you feel today? What is weighing you down? Did you bring it upon yourself? Or does it feel unjustly deserved? And are you trying to carry it all alone? You would probably give anything just to find some rest. Take 10 minutes today to find a quiet place where you can sit alone (home, the office, your car, a nearby park, wherever ...) and ask God to help you trade in your heavy load for his light burden and find rest for your soul.

Further Reading: 
Psalms 18:2, NIV
Isaiah 26:3-4, NIV