NAVIGATING CHANGE

We all experience changes in our lives - some big, some small, some planned, some unplanned. Change is unavoidable. However, with the help of the Holy Spirit we learn to process change well, leading us into the maturity that God desires for each of us.

The Passion Translation explains this process of maturity beautifully, “My fellow believers, when it seems as though you are facing nothing but difficulties, see it as an invaluable opportunity to experience the greatest joy that you can! For you know that when your faith is tested it stirs up in you the power of endurance. And then as your endurance grows even stronger, it will release perfection into every part of your being until there is nothing missing and nothing lacking.” James 1:2-3

BLOG Entry - 14 November 2022

Sometimes change happens to us - unexpectedly - as with the covid-19 pandemic or a sudden illness. But sometimes we know change is coming and it is prudent to prepare for it. As we know our church will be experiencing a change in leadership in the coming year and as Pastor Roz has shared at the Key Leaders meetings - people react to change differently. We have an opportunity as Life Group Leaders to help people process this upcoming change well, and each grow in our understanding of the change process - which often happens in many spheres of life, and also grow our trust in God as He helps us navigate change. Over the next few weeksI am going to include a few tools relating to change in those weekly updates.

The Adopters Curve - originally developed for the adoption of technology, but can also be used for other types of change. A question for each of us, and those in our Life Group - Where are we on that curve when it comes to organisational change? Consider your experiences in the workplace; experiences at other churches - How well did you process the change - were you quick to adapt? Were you a little slower? Why was that? What did you learn from going through those experiences? What did God show you about yourself during those changes?

Lots of questions I know - but worth taking the time to consider as God is doing a new thing and we don’t want to miss it! And something to remember that while change is happening at Macquarie, God is also wanting to change us - “So all of who have had the veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord - who is the Spirit - makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.” 2 Corinthians 3:18.

And remember while this change is going on, we also know that this is true: Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). He is our Rock and He is building His Church.

BLOG Entry - 21 November 2022

I recently heard this great story about a chaplain demonstrating how people respond to change, especially unexpected change …

The chaplain stood on the stage and smashed a mirror. It broke into hundreds of tiny pieces. He told the audience there were three main reactions to this change:

  1. Some who wanted to clean up the mess immediately and move on

  2. Some who couldn’t even look at the shattered glass

  3. Those who wanted to put the mirror back together so everything would be the way it was

The important ‘takeaway’ was that people react differently and we need to give each other time/space and grace to process their reactions - including ourselves.

Another scripture that is helpful to meditate on during times of change is Colossians 1:17 … “And He Himself existed and is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. [His is the controlling, cohesive force of the universe.]” (AMP Bible).

BLOG Entry - 28 November 2022

When going through change we experience as variety of emotions - as I am sure you know!

Understanding our emotions - specifically identifying what emotion we are currently feeling is really important. Whe we understand the ‘what’ we can then spend some time asking the Holy Spirit ‘why’, and from there find truth in God’s Word, which then brings peace and understanding - or peace that comes from trusting that God is good and faithful.

For me, who came from a family of origin where emotions weren’t talked about, I have had a lot to learn about emotions. Recently listening to Brene Brown’s book, Atlas of the Heart, has helped me identify what emotions I’m feeling. Click here to read the list of 70+ emotions and experiences she defines her book.

So often in our Life Groups people are having difficulty coping with change, so let’s encourage them to:

  1. Be Still and identify the emotion

  2. Talk with the Holy Spirit and seek out the answers in God’s Word

How good is it when we can process change healthily and grow in our understanding of God’s ways at the same time.

Note: Re being still, here are a couple of worship songs I often use to help me get to the place of stillness and focussing on God …Be Still by Kari Jobe; Be Still by Hillsong Worship. I actually have a playlist called ‘Be Still’.

BLOG Entry - 5 DECEMBER 2022

Going through times of change can be very wearying (I know!!!), so here is a checklist ‘Going the Distance’ from Susan Marcuccio’s book, New perspectives in Supervision, to help us keep a check on how we are travelling through the change:

  1. Acknowledge your losses - process your grief

  2. Deal with offences/being offended - guard your heart

  3. Operate in your sweet spot - just the right amount of stress (don’t burn out)

  4. Stay holistically healthy - physically, emotionally, spiritually and congnitively

  5. Pursue personal growth/development - be who you need to be at each point

  6. Be authentic - be who you really are and know what you believe

  7. Be strategic and intentional - plan your life

  8. Know your purpose - stay true to your calling

  9. Nuture key relationships - know how to interact with others

  10. Know what you believe - connect with what gives your life meaning

From my experience sometimes in times of change one doesn’t have the capacity to do all of these items, but with the help of the Holy Spirit we can prioritise the most important for our well-being.

This could be a useful checklist to share with your Life Group at some stage - it may prompt some authentic discussion around where people are really at and what they may need support with, but didn’t know how to ask; or maybe weren’t even aware that they needed support in that area.

Times of change are always an opportunity for good growth, and an opportunity to move to a new level of trusting God.

BLOG Entry - 12 DECEMBER 2022

We all know that the Christmas season can be a painful time for some people (including some of us). It can be a time when grief surfaces yet again with the loss of loved ones, loss of relationships, loss of dreams (waiting on the appointed seed that Roz spoke about on Sunday), that ‘loss list’ can be long for some people.

Here is wonderful image that depicts just how unpredictable that grief process can be - while one may want it to be linear, that often isn’t how it happens. This image is another handy tool to have when talking with people about grief, and helping them to normalise what they are experiencing in the grieving process when (loss) change happens.

As a Life Group, there may be an opportunity to pray for those in your group/families who do find the Christmas season challenging, that they may know the love and peace of Jesus Christ - Emmanuel.

BLOG Entry - 20 DECEMBER 2022

A final thought for the year on change, and specifically grief.

Here is the TEAR Model of Grief.
T - to accept the reality of the loss
E - experience the pain of the loss
A - adjust to a new life without the person
R - reinvest in the new reality

It is an interesting model to use to broadly identify where you are at in grieving change. It is designed for the loss of a person, but cna be applied to any situation.

For example, currently Victoria is having to do rehab for her left shoulder/arm and hand - virtually the same rehab process she had to go through when she was 3yrs old. For me, the mum, I am still in the ‘T’ / ‘E’ phase - some days having difficulty accepting that she has to do all of this rehab again; and definitely experiencing the pain of watching her have to learn how to pick up objects again with her left hand. So there is a way to go for me on this particular journey!

Over the years I have gained a much deeper appreciation of just how imperative it is in these times that we stay close to God, and tell Him about our pain, and purposefully take time to allow the Holy Spirit to minister to us, as I’m sure you all know!

I do hope and pray that the info I have shared on change/grief over the past couple of months has been useful for yourselves in your role as Life Group Leaders and for your life in general.