Change Doesn’t Have to be Scary

Time passes slowly while we’re in a season of life. We say time drags by, sluggishly slipping away from us. What we don’t recognize in the moment are the minutes we’re not paying attention to getting away from us.

It’s hard to believe I’ve been out of college for almost four years this coming December. As my parents say about my childhood, it feels like it was just yesterday I walked across the drill field to the student union to do homework. My time there slipped away faster than it took me to recognize what I was losing.

A week or so ago my alma mater, Mississippi State University (Hail State!), had their band camp. I saw post after post of band students gathered in straight lines with instruments up and in place, laughing during break times and enjoying the company of the people around them despite the heat. Those photos brought it all back to me.

I remember my first day walking into the band hall of The Famous Maroon Band and hearing the fight song played by the veteran members for the first time. I remember feeling intimidated, overwhelmed, and that I would never be able to do it. I remember that one practice where the temperature was lower than I expected it to be and I nearly froze. I remember the Halloween I won an award for my simple, yet quite creative costume. I remember all the friends I made on the practice field, all the freshman I tried to be a friendly face to as they adjusted, all the practices and one more times.

Change, as they say, is inevitable. It comes as naturally as breathing, but if you don’t look for change occasionally in your life it will blindside you, leaving you feeling like the rug was ripped from under your feet.

Remembering my time with The Famous Maroon Band has been a sweet reminder that every season of life will eventually move away from us, but we still get to hold onto the memories of that time. Remembering the lessons learned in the classroom and those learned outside it. Remembering the friends made and the people who got caught up in learning to navigate complex relationships.

Speaking of change in our lives, we have quite a big change coming to ours next year. It wasn’t a shock to us, and it didn’t surprise us, but the natural feelings that come as we end a season of life to enter a new one are very real. Am I ready for this? Can we handle this? Am I wise enough to be a mom? Do I know anything about raising a child?

Yes, change is scary, but don’t let yourself get stuck in the circle of questions. Where there’s one there are more. It’s okay to voice your feelings about the approaching change, especially if you feel unprepared.

But if you know a season of life is coming to a close, you’re already a step ahead of the rest. So many of us have no time to prepare for what’s coming. The change simply hits us out of nowhere, leaving us breathless and sprawled across the floor.

If you know or sense a change is coming to your life, start preparing yourself now for this change, whatever it is. It could be moving to a new state, leaving a job you’ve done for years, going to a new church, deciding the best thing for your family is a drastic change.

Don’t be afraid of the change. I know we often associate change with negative feelings, like being fired or getting an unexpected diagnosis, but fear doesn’t have to take the lead even if it’s what you feel. You can be afraid and still take the next step forward. You can be afraid and still lean on God. He doesn’t ask you to be perfect or have your feelings all in order before you come to Him. He just wants you to turn to Him in the crisis, no matter how you’re really feeling or handling the change coming to your life.

You see, the trick is by turning to God you’ve taken the best first step you could take. You moved your eyes away from the scary thing and onto your Heavenly Father. You pushed the scary thing aside for a moment and reminded yourself of who is always there for you, who is always waiting for you, and who will remain by your side no matter what you face in life.

We are steadily moving toward an exciting time of life, and as we draw closer, I’m beginning to realize the weight on our shoulders of ushering in a new life to the world. Small steps toward God are still steps of faith, however minuscule they might seem to you. For me today, this looks like making our baby registry public and praying the people who look at it will possess the wisdom to know what we need, even if we’ve accidentally left it off the list. (Seriously, there are so many things that it’s difficult to know what we need.)