Change Can Be Good

What is change? It’s when something is one way, and then it is not.

I can think of at least four responses to change. 1- You can ignore the change. This is not recommended because ignoring it will not make it go away. 2- You can deny the change. This also does not work because denying it does not mean it does not exist. 3- You can try to resist the change. This does not work because you will be fighting a losing battle. Once change starts, there is usually no stopping it. 4- You can adapt to change. This is your best option because you can change with it. Some people may say, “God does not change, so why should I?” It is true that God is the same yesterday, today, and forevermore. However, there are 2 things to consider with that. 1- You are not God. You are merely made in His image. 2- God does not change, but God is forever MOVING. So, we should look at change as moving from one state to another. Ideally, we should be moving with God.

Some people don’t have trouble saying, “Out with the old and in with the new.” Those are the same people who are saying, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” We need to look at experiencing newness with the same excitement that comes with a new addition to the family. I am here to tell those people that change can be good!

Many people don’t like change for different reasons. 1- Change can be difficult. Sometimes it challenges your abilities. 2- Change can be prolonged, like growing up. 3- Change can be scary as you step into the unknown. 4- Change can seem to be pointless when there are no outward signs that are visible. 5- Change can be disruptive, like orange cones on the road and detour signs.

I want to do something out of the ordinary. I am going to use the process of changing a baby’s diaper to address the concept of change, including why people don’t like it and why it can be beneficial.

My first point was that change can be difficult. Let’s look at our baby scenario. It can be difficult to change a diaper when the baby is squirming. This happens a lot with toddlers who have learned that movement will help them change the scenery. Think about it, when a baby is born, they are typically lying on their back in a crib looking up at a mobile that spins the same pretty colors day in and day out. When the baby learns how to turn over, that’s just the beginning of them learning how to plan their escape. Once they begin to crawl, it’s over. Catch them if you can! With that being said, change can test your abilities. It can stretch you to do more than you thought you could do. I made a difficult career change. I went from being an IT specialist working behind the scenes to being a fitness instructor working face to face with individuals and groups of people. And now, as my body is failing me, I find myself making another difficult transition. I became comfortable in a short period of time as I built meaningful relationships with clients in need. However, now I have to take a different approach to helping people. It is a difficult process, but I know I can do it!

My next point was that change can be prolonged. Think about when a baby makes their poop face. You have to wait for them to finish. Otherwise, you might run into the problem of thinking that change is pointless. Another analog of prolonged change is growing up. It feels like our children grow up too fast, but the reality is that it takes 18 years for a baby to become an adult, and it takes another three years to be old enough to experience the full benefits of adulthood. When you look at the change from a working adult to retirement, it will take roughly 50 years. That’s a long time for change to happen, yet we spend years looking forward to the transition.

My next point was that change can be scary. Looking back at the pooping baby, we know the baby needs to be changed, but we have no idea what to expect. It could be a normal turd, a small mess, or a full blowout! It gets even scarier with a boy because EVERY diaper change is a gamble. Even without a poop incident, you still have something to fear because of the potential to unleash a waterfall right into your face! Not sure about other boys, but I am sure my son loved to hear me scream… Walking into the unknown can be scary because I like to know what is coming. When I am driving, I don’t stay behind a large vehicle if I can help it. I need to be able to see what is in front of them instead of potentially reacting too late to their late reaction.

My next point was that change can seem pointless. Looking back at the process of changing a diaper, this can be very true with a newborn. They go through so many diapers. It can be overwhelming for a new mom and dad with all of the diaper changes. If they are feeding adequately, you could be changing their diaper every other hour. It seems to be an unending process. However, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. They do eventually require fewer changes over time. The bigger they get, the bigger the diapers get, and the more they can hold. We often wonder why we continue to do things that seem to provide no rewards. However, when we look at the totality of the situation, we begin to realize what we do does matter, even if we cannot see immediate results. Patience is the name of the game! Someone once said, “The best things come to those who wait.” That was in a Heinz ketchup commercial!

My last point was that change can be disruptive. The timing of babies needing a diaper change is never convenient. When you are on parental leave with a newborn, you eventually get into watching movies or binging a TV series while the baby is napping or being entertained by a toy. A diaper change is usually needed when you are watching your favorite show on TV, not streaming, but actual TV with commercials and no way to pause or rewind. DVRs are a thing of the past, so you can’t record it to watch later either. Suddenly, you smell the most horrific stench. You try to ignore it, but either the smell becomes unbearable, or the baby begins to cry for attention. In any case, you need to leave the comfort of the couch just when your show reaches a critical turning point. Thinking about driving, those orange cones in the roadway, the arrows that tell us a lane is closed, the signs and blockades that tell us a road is closed, and the detour signs that tell us we need to follow an alternate route are very disruptive changes. If you didn’t leave early to reach your destination, you will likely arrive late.

Another way to look at change is that change can be good! Continuing with the diaper changing analogy, think about how the change into a fresh , clean diaper can affect you AND the baby. 1- There can be fresh air once the dirty diaper is gone. 2- There is a happy baby who is so fresh and so clean, clean. 3- The baby is healthy with no diaper rash after all of the frequent changes. 4- You have feelings of accomplishment after tackling a difficult task. 5- There is a sigh of relief when you open the diaper to discover the smell was just from a fart. 6- You have time to prepare for the worst when the smell of the fist fart fills the air. 7- You have time to do other things while you wait for the baby to complete their process. Notice how the good already outweighs the bad.

Looking at this in terms of life in general, let’s first address the negative thoughts of change. 1- When change is difficult, but we complete it successfully, we feel a sense of pride and accomplishment that cannot be taken away. I remember when I was in college to complete my master’s degree, it was during a difficult time, and I lost my 4.0 GPA in the second semester. However, I was more determined than ever to keep going and I was happy to graduate with a 3.32. The changes I went through were very difficult, but I am glad I kept going and did not give up. In the fall of this year, I plan to make another change by going back to school briefly for a degree in Entrepreneurship. Despite my current challenges, I am confident that I can complete the work that is needed to graduate.

2- When the change process takes a long time to complete, we can learn patience, and experience much more satisfaction when the end comes. For example, when I had to complete 12 weeks of cardiac therapy, I felt like it would never end. However, when that last day came, and I had made so much progress, it was a day of celebration that I will never forget. I was given a cap and gown to wear as they played the graduation song while I walked up to receive my graduation gift. I have plenty of other stories where change took some time, but we don’t have all day. Besides, the outcome was always the same: pure satisfaction. It reminds me of being an expectant mother, waiting nine months to meet my baby. My third child was two weeks late! Pregnancy can feel like it takes forever, and the mom goes through a LOT of changes, but when she gives birth, and she holds her baby in her arms, she forgets all about what it took to get there.

3- Change can be scary when you have a fear of the unknown. The first thing I want to say is that God has not given you the spirit of fear. The second thing I want to say is that the only thing to fear is falling into the hands of the Living God when you are being a rebel (Hebrews 10:31) I fear God more than man because He can do way more to me than any man can. Hebrews 10:28 tells us that we should not fear them who can kill the body, but not the soul. We only need to fear God because He can kill the body AND the soul in hell. I want to clarify something though. Fearing God and having the fear of the Lord are not the same. When you fear God you are afraid of what he will do to you, as you should be if you are being a rebel. On the other hand, having the fear of the Lord means that you consider Him in everything that you do. You don’t make any decisions without Him because you want to please Him always. The fear of the Lord is mentioned in Psalm 111:10 and Proverbs 1:7, 9:10, and 15:33. Those many mentions tell me that having the fear of the Lord is very important. When you live your life based on what God wants for you, fearing the unknown no longer exists because you know that whatever happens, God will take care of you.

4- Change seems to be pointless when you keep making the same mistakes over and over again. The hope is that we learn from our mistakes instead of repeating them.

5- Change can be disruptive when you are not prepared for it or when you are not flexible. God wants us to be flexible and pliable like clay so He can mold us into the people He created us to be. Change can feel very disruptive if you suffer from anxiety and high levels of unmanaged stress. When unplanned change comes my way, I often take a deep breath and process it in my mind before I react. However, this does not work when you are on the roadway and need to make quick decisions. In those cases, I try to make sure that I am prepared ahead of time since I already know the potential for changes in my route, from erratic drivers to lane closures to roadblocks and detours. Being prepared mentally will minimize the impact of the disruptive change. This is a part of our holistic approach to fitness, mental toughness, and fortitude.

Let’s look back to the responses to change and apply it to our baby diaper changing scenario. If you ignore the need to change the baby, you run the risk of causing a skin rash, a screaming baby, and a stench that lingers a lot longer than it should. Nobody wants that! You can deny that the baby needs to be changed, but that can also result in a skin rash and screaming baby. Perhaps you try to justify the smell by blaming someone else in the room. Isn’t it better to be safe than sorry? You can try to resist changing the baby’s diaper by convincing someone else to do it. However, if no one else is around, you could be back to a diaper rash or screaming baby. Even more, depending on the nature of the change, a blowout could cause way more damage than just the baby being affected. Clothes are involved, covers are involved, and perhaps even the floor becomes involved if the baby is a toddler. I just had a flashback! As I mentioned before, your best bet is adapting to changing the baby’s diaper. It really is no big deal. If you get used to the barely soiled diapers, when the change becomes more intense, it will be a smooth transition.

I don’t know why I chose the scenario of changing a baby’s dirty diaper to get my point across about change being good. I hope I didn’t gross you out! When I had that flashback, I was almost grossed out myself, so I apologize! Nevertheless, I hope you enjoyed this message, and I hope it gave you something to think about when it comes to making changes in your life. We all go through changes from the day we are born until the day we die. Actually, changes begin from the moment of conception! There is no doubt that the changes that happen during pregnancy are good since they can end with a healthy, beautiful miracle of life baby, and happy parents.

I want to encourage you to look for good in your changes. Look at why the change is happening and what will be the results of the change once it is complete. While I was still in my childbearing age, my body went through an irreversible change that resulted in me not being able to bear anymore children. However, on a positive note, the change relieved my pain and kept me from making some dire mistakes that would have resulted from some unfavorable relationships. All things considered that change was VERY good!

I hope this message helps you realize that change can be good. If you want help seeing the good in your change, drop us a comment and we will see how we can help! Have a blessed day!