How do you respond when confronted with change? Do you groan at the idea? Or do you have a tinge of exhilaration? My reaction is initially negative, without consideration of potential positive possibilities. I wish I had a pioneering spirit, but I like the comfort of familiarity.
Change is as simple as moving a favorite chair to a different spot in your living room, or as complex as packing up and moving across the country. Change ranges from inconvenient to devastating. All change brings some level of discomfort. My young son nearly cried when I painted over our blue front door with red paint.
Growth and comfort do not coexist. Ginni Rometty
I’ve always prayed to become more like Jesus. Did I really think that would happen without change? With its accompanying angst, change gave me impetus and invited me to grow. Without disruptions in my life, I would have missed opportunities to be flexible, learn new skills and become more passionate in my faith.
Change is Crushing
In my twenties I was hit with multiple catastrophes that forced me into uncharted waters and left me heart-crushed. My first husband walked out while I was pregnant, and my baby girl was diagnosed with severe mental impairments. Forced to adapt, I learned to rely on God for help each day. Those hard early years molded my life.
Change is challenging
In 2016, due to a job loss, my husband and I faced a possible move from our home in Wilmington, North Carolina. Each morning we prayed together for the right role for Tom. While we preferred to stay in our home, we wanted God’s will. When Tom’s resumé found its way to Columbia, South Carolina and quickly translated into favorable interviews and a job offer, we knew God had answered our prayers.
Some folks are exhilarated when they imagine moving to a new area. Not me. I wondered if physical force might be needed to pull me away from our home in Wilmington.
Before I packed my car and drove to Columbia, I lingered in our beloved home for a long time. I sat on the cold wooden floor, glanced around the rooms, and tried to memorize every inch. Memories called to me from each space. I longed to stay
As we moved everything into our new house in Columbia, I thought, how can I be myself here? I fought fear and depression, especially at night.
Courage is the power to let go of the familiar. Raymond Lindquist
Finally, I took baby steps to fit in. God was faithful to guide me when I asked Him for help.
Change is Compelling
I had the idea to reach out to my neighbors who were only a few steps from our door. Hesitantly, I invited the lady next door over for pumpkin bread and tea.
I didn’t know this would be the first of many times Debbie and I would share food and laughter. I didn’t know she’d start a tradition of leaving little treats in my mailbox and then I’d follow suit. Both of us love dark chocolate which is often the choice for our tiny gifts. Once she left a huge delicious navel orange, which lit up my face.
Tom and I invited the neighbors over on a cold fall night for soup and homemade bread. At Christmas we delivered cookies around the cul-de-sac. Some folks were suspicious of the strangers banging on their doors, but they eventually became our friends.
When I sat in our Wilmington home, with tears flowing, I didn’t know I’d make friends I wouldn’t want to leave.
I didn’t know I’d meet a growing group of young passionate Christian women. I’d nervously walk into the room, knowing I’d be the oldest there. I didn’t know they’d accept me and invite me to speak at their conference. They’d look to me for life lessons since I had more experience under my belt.
I didn’t know that the move would give me the gift of my dear Word Weavers critique group, and that I’d gain heaps of knowledge to help me improve my writing.
What I didn’t realize on that day of sad goodbyes is that Tom and I would both grow into better people for having lived in Columbia. We thank God for moving us to the city we were set against.
While we only see the present moment, God sees our entire lives and knows what’s next. Why would we fear after we’ve entrusted our lives to Him?
If we don’t change, we don’t grow. If we don’t grow we aren’t really living. Gail Sheehy
Soon, we’ll be moving back to Wilmington. We can’t wait to be near our family again. At the same time, we’ll shed tears over our friends in Columbia who’ve been a special part of our daily lives. I want to walk into my next season trusting God more than I have in the past. I pray the same for you. He is faithful.
17 Comments
Makes me teary eyed to think of you leaving but so encouraged to be reminded of how god always goes before us! No doubt, there are people in Wilmington who will soon be blessed with wonderful new friends, you and your husband! thanks for sharing this with us. and thanks for giving us a peek at your home and your experiences there. beautiful photos! (I need to know where you got the air freshener for your son. hilarious! i like the idea of keeping our faces before our adult children!)
Hi Frances- Thank you so much for writing, and for your encouragement!
wow! change can certainly be a roller coaster, can’t it? gerl you have ridden it well. i’m prou d of your growth and your outlook.
Thanks so much, Ellen. You’ve ridden it well too!
What an eloquent post! I loved seeing your gorgeous images – and thinking about the profound words you wrote. I’m so grateful we connected through Word Weavers and look forward to more days ahead of learning and growing together. Oh, and getting your blog and newsletters each month! Thank you for helping us honor our memories, appreciate change for how it grows us, and challenging us to continue moving forward. 🩷
Thank you for writing, Jennifer! I’m looking forward to getting together again soon. It’s a gift to have fellow writers alongside us, and to encourage us in our pursuits! I’m grateful 🙂
So good. The nottingham photos make me emotional. you’ve done such a great job and navigated change with so much grace. love you!
They make me emotional too!
The Nottingham photos made me emotional. What sweet memories we all have. Proud of how you’ve navigated such change with grace. I love you!!
Thank you for writing Katherine! I love you.
congrats on your next adventure Myra! God is always faithful!!!
Myra, I know first hand your situation and will keep you and your husbanc in my prayers. You will be a gift to those whose lives you enter going forward, and you will bring with you to Wilmington the rich experiences and memories you enjoyed in Columbia. God’s consolations will comfort you, remind you of His forever presence in your life and delight you in ways you can not fathom. I look forward to hearing of your new adventures… 🙂 Lisa Our new address is 204 Bay Street Berlin, MD 21811 … (Berlin is a quaint and special little town near Assateague Island on Maryland’s Eastern Shore).know you have a place to visit & stay if you venture for North visit!
🙂 Lisa
Myra, I know first hand your situation and will keep you and your husbanc in my prayers. You will be a gift to those whose lives you enter going forward, and you will bring with you to Wilmington the rich experiences and memories you enjoyed in Columbia. God’s consolations will comfort you, remind you of His forever presence in your life and delight you in ways you can not fathom. I look forward to hearing of your new adventures… 🙂 Lisa Our new address is 204 Bay Street Berlin, MD 21811 … (Berlin is a quaint and special little town near Assateague Island on Maryland’s Eastern Shore).know you have a place to visit & stay if you venture for North visit!0
Myra, I know first hand your situation and will keep you and your husbanc in my prayers. You will be a gift to those whose lives you enter going forward, and you will bring with you to Wilmington the rich experiences and memories you enjoyed in Columbia. God’s consolations will comfort you, remind you of His forever presence in your life and delight you in ways you can not fathom. I look forward to hearing of your new adventures… 🙂 Lisa
Our new address is 204 Bay Street Berlin, MD 21811 … (Berlin is a quaint and special little town near Assateague Island on Maryland’s Eastern Shore).know you have a place to visit & stay if you venture for North visit!0
Myra, I know first hand your situation and will keep you and your husbanc in my prayers. You will be a gift to those whose lives you enter going forward, and you will bring with you to Wilmington the rich experiences and memories you enjoyed in Columbia. God’s consolations will comfort you, remind you of His forever presence in your life and delight you in ways you can not fathom. I look forward to hearing of your new adventures… 🙂 Lisa
Our new address is 204 Bay Street Berlin, MD 21811 … (Berlin is a quaint and special little town near Assateague Island on Maryland’s Eastern Shore).know you have a place to visit & stay if you venture for North visit!
Myra,
You will be a gift to those whose lives you enter going forward, and you will bring with you to Wilmington the rich experiences and memories you enjoyed in Columbia. God’s consolations will comfort you, remind you of His forever presence in your life and delight you in ways you can not fathom. I look forward to hearing of your new adventures… 🙂 Lisa
Our new address is 204 Bay Street Berlin, MD 21811 … (Berlin is a quaint and special little town near Assateague Island on Maryland’s Eastern Shore).know you have a place to visit & stay if you venture for North visit!
This was a great blog but it made me hungry