“We started from scratch, every American an immigrant who came because he wanted change. Why are we now afraid to change?” Eleanor Roosevelt.

“We can’t be afraid of change. You may feel very secure in the pond that you are in, but if you never venture out of it, you will never know that there is such a thing as an ocean, a sea. Holding onto something that is good for you now, may be the very reason why you don’t have something better.” C.JoyBell C.

We all start somewhere in life, and at some point, we all have an end. For most folks, we go through various stages: childhood, teen years, our 20’s, 30’s and so forth and then we die. Why we move from stage to stage is a bit of a mystery to me.

For me, I moved from place to place, time to time, experience to experience because of nagging questions such as – how high are the Rocky Mountains, what’s it like to travel through Europe by train, do I want to marry this or that person, can I handle a promotion, would I be a better teacher than a 9-5 banker. I had to discover the answers to these questions.

I changed because the world around me offered me questions to which I sought answers.

To some of my friends and acquaintances, I am sure it appeared I was never really serious and committed to any one thing. Today, I admit my friends were right. As I was going through my life stages I never committed to anything. Yes, I have been and I am still curious about all sorts of things. I try them out till I am fully certain that given time, I could master the challenges of a particular new opportunity or job or skill. Then I move on to something else – all because I am not committed to the challenges. I am satisfied knowing that I could master the opportunities before me. I went from almost failing out of college to the Dean’s List, from working on Wall Street to teaching in a private school, to running a private school, to becoming a United Methodist Clergy person. Just moved from opportunity to opportunity, from degree to degree, from recommendation to recommendation.

Change happened by chance – a whim. I was curious about what was ahead of me, disinterested by what was alongside me, bored with what I had accomplished in the past. Change, for me, was for the sake of change – to keep from becoming bored with myself and uninteresting to others. It was my call.

TODAY’S CALL TO CHANGE

Change marched to my tempo, my time, my initiation. Now, however, change is being forced on me – the pandemic and its many constraints, the economy, irrational violence, distrust, factionalism, hunger, poverty, political gridlock, on and on the list goes. Life is invading my space, forcing me to change even though I am not all that eager to change at this point in my life. I deserve a rest. To be honest, I am afraid of the change that is being forced on me.

But the hope in all of this resides in the two quotes above. To paraphrase, our ancestors all came here because they wanted to change. They were not afraid of change. Perhaps I should stop being afraid of change. Letting go of what I have may make room for something I didn’t know I needed to explore. There are oceans I have never seen, mountains I have never climbed, people I have never met. They hold the future, my future. I have to change. I have to embrace change. There will be plenty of time for that rest I think I deserve.

I have faith that the troubles of this world are not really worth considering. My time ought to be spent on discovering new challenges. I can still face change unafraid and trust with my whole heart that harmony and ONENESS have not left the building. It’s time for me to stop being afraid. It’s time to trust in the power and promise of hope.

“Holding onto something that is good for you now, may be the very reason why you don’t have something better.”