Genesis chapter 1
Today we are walking in: Responding to Change
Today we look to the word- CHANGE- H2015- haphak- a primitive root; to turn about or over; by implication, to change, overturn, return, pervert:—become, change, come, be converted, give, make (a bed), overthrow overturn), perverse, retire, tumble, turn (again, aside, back, to the contrary, every way).
The Torah Testifies…………….
Genesis 35:2
Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that werewith him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change H2015 your garments:
Leviticus 27:10
He shall not alter it, nor change H2015 it, a good for a bad, or a bad for a good: and if he shall at all change H2015 beast for beast, then it and the exchange thereof shall be holy.
Leviticus 27:33
He shall not search whether it be good or bad, neither shall he change H2015 it: and if he change H2015 it at all, then both it and the change H2015 thereof shall be holy; it shall not be redeemed.
The Prophets Proclaim………
Jeremiah 2:36
Why gaddest thou about so much to change H2015 thy way? thou also shalt be ashamed of Egypt, as thou wast ashamed of Assyria.
Zechariah 3:4
And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change H2015 of raiment.
Malachi 3:6
For I am the LORD, I change H2015 not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.
The Writings witness……………
Job 14:14
If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change H2015 come.
Psalm 102:26
They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change H2015 them, and they shall be changed:
Proverbs 24:21
My son, fear thou the LORD and the king: and meddle not with them that are given to change H2015:
Responding to Change
Essential Life Skills: Preparing for the Unexpected, Initiating Purpose
Change is inevitable, except from vending machines. —Anonymous
Nothing is more secure than the familiar. Being creatures of habit, many people dread the thought of change. Yet since change is a principle of life, we must learn to live with it—more than that, we must discover how to benefit from it. Responding rather than reacting to change enables you to grow stronger for the next phase of your life.
We have seen that even if you refuse to change, change will affect you. Change will happen to you, with you, around you, and without you. When the leaves change color and fall off the trees in autumn, and the weather gets colder, everyone knows what season is coming. Being prepared for winter protects you against its potentially harmful effects while enabling you to benefit from it. You buy a warm coat before the first frost so you can wear it on chilly days. You stock up on salt or sand so you can pour it on your outside steps, walkway, and driveway to prevent yourself from slipping when it gets icy. You may also obtain a pair of skis or ice skates so you can benefit from winter’s snow and ice as means of entertainment and exercise. In order to have something constructive to do when the weather gets too cold to work outside, you might plan a special project of finally putting those old photos into albums or perhaps stockpile seed catalogs so you can look through them in preparation for spring planting. When you are prepared, you can approach winter with a feeling of confidence rather than apprehension.
Knowing how to respond to inevitable change rather than just reacting to it can keep you at peace during any change you may experience. If you are to engage fully in life, then you must not ignore the truth about the future. It holds one of two options for you: respond effectively to change or be a victim of change.
You have the power to determine the quality and effectiveness of your future by your response to change.
In the last chapter, we saw that while accepting change is the first step toward responding, if we go no further than acceptance, we will still end up as victims. Let’s look now at ways in which we can respond rather than react to change.
Ways to Respond to Change
You Can Oversee Change
Overseeing, or managing, change means that you have recognized and acknowledged change but are also taking some practical steps to address it. You are currently engaged in assessing how you can best control its impending impact on your life. You don’t necessarily avoid the problem, but you try to direct its effects on your life, your environment, and your circumstances, thereby minimizing any negative results. You’re still not yet positioning yourself to benefit or use it effectively. You’re simply controlling it. Overseeing change is better than reacting in the ways we discussed in the previous chapter, but it’s still not enough.
You Can Integrate Yourself in Change
Integrating yourself in change means that when change is happening to you, you become an active participator in its unfolding. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you approve of it or support it. However, you understand that it is a reality and position yourself to move forward in life in the midst of it. If you do support it, then you actively seek to help the change to take place. You embrace it and search for your place in it.
Some overwhelming tides of change will flow through your life or your society, and you must adapt to them and participate in the transition process instead of fighting them. After the resurrection of Yahusha of Nazareth, His disciples preached His message boldly, and an angry crowd wanted to put them to death. Yet Gamaliel, who was a Pharisee and a teacher of the law, warned the religious community, “If it is from Yah, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against Yah” (Acts 5:39).
Likewise, we can’t fight change when the hand of the Yah is truly in it. In such cases, we must demonstrate the maturity required for responding effectively in times of transition. In part 3, we will focus on how we can fulfill the purposes the Creator has for our lives and how change relates to those purposes. For now, let’s remind ourselves of what first century theologian Paul of Tarsus wrote: “We know that in all things Yah works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). We can become a part of Yah’s process, which always works for our good when we are aligned with His purposes. When we are in step with His plans, we can have confidence in any situation, however unsettling.
You must, therefore, be proactive when such changes are taking place. You don’t want to let change happen— you want to help change happen. Those who will survive and benefit in the midst of change are those who understand their places in the process and participate fully in what the change was intended to deliver. The danger, again, is the temptation to ignore change and be idle.
For example, when political change is ushered in by an election and one party is replaced by another, there are usually some people in the “losing” party who separate themselves from the transition instead of remaining involved in the process. They say, for example, “I’m not getting involved,” or “I’m not voting anymore,” or “I’m not going to work with these people.” The only problem is that change will happen either with you or without you. It is the process of life. So, those who decide to bide their time in the midst of change are like a man standing in the middle of a blizzard and wearing his swim trunks, hoping that the temperature will rise to 85 degrees. Of course, there will be a funeral. Instead of integrating himself into the new season by wearing winter clothes or seeking refuge indoors, he allows the change of weather to kill him.
We talked above about the futility of fighting against the hand of Yah. Similarly, we can be tempted to just withdraw from active participation in Yah’s purposes as a way of expressing our dissatisfaction with His will. This dangerous attitude says, “If I am not in charge and in control, then I will not get involved.” This is an immature, fatalistic mentality that reduces one to becoming part of the problem rather than a part of the provision in Yah’s plan. This is why it is essential that we all find our places in Yah’s program and fulfill our life purposes, no matter what new roles they may involve.
You Can Prepare and Plan for Change
This is one of the highest levels of response to change. Those who prepare and plan for change are never really surprised by it because they understand that change is integral to life. If you understand the nature of change, you always expect it. Therefore, the best “response” to changes that happen to you, around you, and within you is to anticipate them ahead of time, because you can prepare only for what you expect. Change can often be sudden and surprising, and you don’t always know specifically what to plan for. Yet a constructive response to the inevitability of change is to prepare your mind, your emotions, your family, your finances, and so forth for a number of eventualities.
If you don’t learn to expect change, you will inevitably react to it when it occurs. You won’t be able to respond to it effectively. A clear understanding that life will change is the key to preparing and planning for times of transition. It is this response of preparation that will give you control over change.
Planning enables you to go beyond mere oversight of change when it arrives. Instead, you can orchestrate it to work for your benefit. You can put in place sound overall plans, motivated by the mind-set that change is a way of life. This is the essence of response to change, as opposed to reaction to change, because it requires forethought.
To sum up, by planning and preparing for change, you...
reduce anxiety, stress, and fear.
gain greater control over your circumstances and environment.
increase your confidence.
make change your servant.
Planning and preparation are the evidence of foresight. They help produce internal peace for those who practice them, while others cower in chaos.
I have learned to avoid becoming unsettled, anxious, or angry about change by expecting it and always having a contingency plan. If there is nothing I can do about a certain situation, I put a plan into action to turn it to my advantage. This method can be used for both small inconveniences and critical events. Let’s take a small change as illustration. Suppose I’m waiting to board a plane to go speak at a conference in Peru. As I sit at the gate, I hear an announcement that my plane has been delayed for two hours. Immediately, I open up my laptop and start reviewing my notes for my talk or planning material for a new talk. I never think twice about the situation as a “problem.” While everyone else is sitting around complaining, I’m producing something.
I plan for this type of eventuality all the time, and I try always to think in terms of restructuring my situation to help me further my goals. I’ve trained myself, as I go through my day, to continually think ahead to what kind of change might happen to me and how I can best respond. This is not worrying; it’s constructive preparation. There is a vital difference between the two. You have to prepare yourself not only for what you want to happen, but also for what could happen. That way, change never catches you off guard and you’re not confused or immobilized, at least for long.
I’ve watched people “lose it” because they didn’t expect that a particular situation could ever happen—especially to them. That’s the power of the unexpected. It can dislodge you from your sense of security and rob you of your peace. It can destroy what you claim to have faith in because you didn’t anticipate a challenge to your belief.
Again, you must expect change and plan and prepare for its eventuality because what you expect can never really surprise or disappoint you.
You Can Initiate Change
Initiating change is the highest level of response to change. We will discuss this point in more detail in later chapters, so that you can learn to apply it in practical ways —including how to discover your Yah-given purpose. When you initiate change, you are responding to change by realizing its potential and power and by actively creating it to further your vision and goals for your life based on your purpose.
To initiate change means the following: (1) You determine what changes in your life and environment will best serve the purposes you have been called to fulfill on this earth. (2) You order your life and environment according to these best interests. In other words, your unique assignment from the Creator produces the incentive to create the conditions and to gather the resources that will produce the changes necessary to fulfill His will for your life.
Be a World Changer
I challenge you to become someone who initiates change, who makes things happen to fulfill your purpose and who contributes your particular gifts to your generation. There are people who say, “I’m open to change as long as it doesn’t affect me, as long as it doesn’t cost me anything.” But all change will cost something, even if it’s just the loss of the familiar. We must be willing to let go of what isn’t working for us in order to pursue what is best for us.
Are you willing to let go of the past and become proactive about the future? If so, you are ready to become a world changer.
I am always doing that which I can not do, in order that I may learn how to do it.
—Pablo Picasso, painter and sculptorA
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