Embracing Change

Sometimes we find direction in life where we least expect it. When we open our minds to change there is no limit to what can be accomplished. We find ourselves, so many times, stuck in a hamster wheel. Maybe it’s because we think that what we currently have is all we deserve. Maybe it’s because we feel we are past our prime to try for our goals, that we have already missed our opportunities. Maybe we are so resistant to change because change can be terrifying. Anything foreign to our daily lives can be difficult and uncomfortable. The fact of the matter is that change is necessary. Look back through history and you will only find one constant. Change. True success, happiness, and health are acheived by change; by adapting, overcoming, and continually learning and growing.

I was wandering the woods with the kids this week, looking for mushrooms. I have been praying for direction often lately. I have been praying for God to tell me which path to take in life, and what purpose is mine to serve. Sometimes it’s difficult to see His intentions for us. My heart has been pushing me toward new horizons and I was terrified, because change is uncomfortable for me. While walking along I spotted a bluish gray stone. My very first, completely intact, arrowhead. I had asked for direction, and God had just given me an arrow.

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I was over the moon excited about my find, but more than just finding a priceless piece of history I knew I had found something else as well. My sign. Affirmation that it’s okay to embrace the change. A sign that God is always guiding my way, even when I’m on new and uneven ground.

Where can you make changes in your life? Maybe it’s time to stop holding so tightly to relationships that aren’t serving your well being. Is that toxic friendship or personal relationship still serving you? Is that job still serving you? Does it feed your spirit, or just your belly? If you stopped grasping so tightly, would it still be there, with genuine good intention? Not all that we have is meant to stay. This past year has been difficut for so many of us, but I think therapeutic in it’s own right too. Not all of what was lost was lost in vain. What if we used this turning point as a diving board to jump into a more positive version of ourselves?

What if we used this time to shed the cocoon of stigmas, negative relationships, and “I can’t”s of life and emerged with wings and the ability to fly?

As I’m entering this phase of mid 30’s I am choosing to embrace the beauty of change. So many people tout thier 20’s and being the best years of thier life, I disagree. My 20’s was hard. It was a time of feeling inadequate, unprepared, and anxious. For me each passing year gets better, as I continue to find my confidence, my voice, and my purpose in life.

I have been busy making changes for my physical health, my mental health, and my spiritual well being. I have given myself the grace and confidence to stand up for myself; to say “no” when I feel the need to. I am slowly learning that everything is not mine to hold and help and fix. It is the most freeing and amazing feeling to shed what has been, for so many years, holding me down like a lead weight. I am learning there is no limit on the horizon, only the limits I set for myself.

33 may have brought about the emergence of gray hairs and my first noticable wrinkles, but those are badges of honor earned by living and learning in this life. Make the effort for yourself knowing you are fully worth that effort. Strive to make changes big or small. You have to shed that negative weight in order to spread your wings and fly.