Hi Everyone! Sorry I took a big break from blogging to help our daughter Carrie and her husband Daniel move from California to Tennessee. Yes we drove from Sacramento to Hendersonville, two cars, four drivers! It was glorious! The weather was mid 70’s to low 80’s most days, dry, sunny. Definitely the most enjoyable road trip I’ve ever taken!
Looking out my window today it’s hard to imagine that bright sunshine. Winter has gripped Kentucky. It’s cold, dark and dreary. No snow just rain. I’m comforted by the memories of Yosemite, the Grand Canyon and the Painted Desert.
So much to think about and discuss. I’m still processing resiliency. I even listened to a podcast for missionaries called of all things - Resiliency! There are some really helpful dialogues about what helps missionaries go the distance. Check it out at https://anchor.fm/antioch-resiliency .
Navigating change seems to figure prominently in developing resiliency. If we don’t learn how to adapt to the changes that are part of missionary transition we won’t become resilient. Did you know that change involves a series of stages that we each have to move through in order to successfully navigate change? The graphic found at https://changecycle.com/change-cycle illustrates this. Each stage has different characteristics and prompts different feelings, thoughts and behaviors. Every missionary has been through these stages as they struggle to adapt to a new reality.
We are each struggling with the change forced on us from the pandemic. Although there is a vaccine available that can help we won’t see the results for some time. That means we’ll still be wearing masks and socially distancing, our meetings will continue via Zoom and life won’t look all that different for awhile. But look at all the creativity this change sparked! We can learn to do things differently and lo and behold it worked! Would we have discovered these new pathways if change had not been forced upon us? Doubtful!
One thing is certain, life involves change, if we don’t learn to accommodate it we risk being left behind. Some changes we choose (like signing up to become missionaries), some changes are forced upon us (like a medical emergency). We still have to navigate each stage in order to move into on to being more productive. So as my friend used to say, “Pull up your big girl panties, and get to work!”
If you are struggling with moving forward through change, take heart there is a path you can follow. You can’t avoid the difficult terrain, it takes hard work but you will learn so much about yourself - what works and what doesn’t. You can apply all of these discoveries to future challenges and your future self will thank you! Look around you and you’ll see there are others on the path, some are ahead of you and some are behind you. Talk to them! Find out about what lies ahead from the ones further along, they might even have some wisdom they can share with you that will make the journey easier! How about the ones behind you on the path? Reach out and give them a hand through the rough patches. They have dying to hear a word of encouragement!
I find this quote reassuring, “Confusion is the final step before learning.” Just don’t let the confusion you are experiencing drag down your confidence and the energy you need to move forward. If you feel confused right now and don’t know what the future looks like, let it propel you to investigate what lies ahead. You may discover that God has something ahead for you that you would never have discovered it you had been content to stay where you are and not embrace the change!
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