Over the last couple of years it seems my wife and I’s lives have been turned inside out.
We lost a beloved dog. A great mentor of ours moved from youth pastor to senior pastor at a different church. Another leader we knew had to be removed from his position of leadership..
To top things off, we made the difficult choice to resign our position as youth leaders and leave a church we’d attended for years. Talk about rough! And talk about change.
These changes have not been easy. These changes have not been pleasant.
But the changes we’ve faced have taught us what to do when we’re faced with change and when that change is difficult.
Pray: The first thing you need to do when you’re faced with difficult change is to begin to pray. Pray for guidance. Pray for wisdom. Pray for peace. Pray for hope. Pray for signs.
Lean: Throughout all of the changes we’ve faced, we’ve learned that we needed to lean heavy on those we know and love.
Whether it’s a mentor to give you sage advice or whether it’s for comfort, leaning on others helps to ease the pain of change.
Push: Change is a constant in our world. There’s not going to be a day where you’re not going to see or experience change.
But we can’t sit around and wait for something to happen. You’ve got to be willing to push through the change you’re facing.
If you don’t, you’re going to be stuck in the squat and the pain will stick around.
Cry: I’ve always thought I loved change but I think I’m wrong. The more I face change, the more I hate change.
So, I shed tears over the transitions that are happening. I don’t like them but they’re part of life. And when they’re difficult, it’s okay to grieve change.
Pray: I said the first thing you must do when facing transition is to pray. I feel the last thing you need to do is pray as well.
Pray your way through the change. God is there with you and He won’t abandon you.
Bring your requests to Him and let it be heard.
You’ll find yourself in the midst of change frequently as a leader. Don’t let yourself be stopped in your tracks because of the developments happening around you.
Rather, you will need to pray, lean, push, cry, and pray some more through the change.
When you do this, you’ll discover you can make it through difficult change.
Question: What do you do when you find yourself in a period of transition? I want to hear your voice on this topic in the comment section below.
Please note: I reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive or off-topic.