A Penchant for Change

I woke up one morning last week with a passion for change. I had reached saturation point with the comfortable routine of being home and working on projects. This is so typical of me. Just when I have finely tuned the rhythm of a day’s work and evening rest of Sudoku and worship, I want to race off to something new. It’s almost like I crave a certain amount of chaos in my life and chafe at sameness like a wild horse chafes at restraining fences. But I also know that by the end of a six week road trip visiting a variety of locations and engaging a multitude of individuals personally or corporately, I long for the sameness of being in my own house, setting my own time schedule, and cooking my own food. But it doesn’t take very long for that sameness to become “boredom” and I wake up again longing to dash off somewhere – any where!

My guess is that if I were to do a survey I would find that there are some others like me, but there are also many who revel in routine and chafe irritably at anything that would threaten the safety of their well established safe world. And there probably are a few who could not even tolerate a month at home with a comfortable rhythm of work and rest. And God has created all of us in his image!

Maybe the question becomes how to effectively harness the internal drive for sameness or change in the way God intends so that it accomplishes what he desires in our world. The drive for sameness can provide stability and safety, especially when it is expressed through loving attitudes and godly principles. The drive for change is vital in producing growth and molding a person, family, organization or community to closer alignment to God’s truth. I propose that without the drive for change or passion for sameness we will not be the salt God intended us to be in our world.

However, as is normal, the difference in our internal drives towards sameness or change, can produce interpersonal tension and conflict. For example my passion to dash off anywhere for a change clashes with my husband’s internal drive to create stability and safety while we are home. And my drive to make modifications in current ministry can be a downright menace to fellow workers who are devoted to creating lasting solutions. My desire for change can threaten to rock their world.

May I suggest that this ongoing tension between stability and change is part of God’s built in plan to keep us growing and effective in our world. Sin by nature creates chaos. Well established laws and well executed biblical guidelines provide the means of calming the chaotic storm and restoring families and communities to safety and security of loving relationships based on his Word. But it takes individuals driven by passion for change to head into the storm and advocate for change in the face of opposition and criticism.

We are made in God’s image to accomplish God’s purposes in His world. Whether we have a penchant for change or a passion for stability, God has a role for each of us to play. Yielded in his hand and making room for each other, we should together press on to see His Kingdom come in the places he’s put us.