I just had a really necessary conversation with a coworker. He doesn’t know my future plans, and he just returned from a year-long overseas deployment. Upon returning about a month ago he said that he was distracted by all of the changes – the living room was different, his wife had purchased replacement electronics, he’d missed family events, and life just felt a little off. Once of my biggest concerns about moving to Jamaica long-term, is missing out on things, on missing people, and worrying that I‘ll be forgotten. I don’t want things to change – and it’s a daily choice to keep in mind that I want the people I love to grow and change as God would have them do – and that I have nothing to do with that process. My concerns are selfish, and I’m being stripped of them…. but only tiny bits at a time.
My readjusting coworker said that he now pauses before making a comment, and when he does choose to comment on a change he inquires of the context. It turns out his living room was rearranged to accommodate for a friend with mobility issues, and that lots of friends had come over to help his wife. In that instant he felt blessed by his life – that his wife hadn’t changed it to make things different for him, but to help a friend. Also he was grateful that his friends cared enough about his family to pitch in when he couldn’t. He said he daily has to remember that change can bring unexpected results – now they feel like they have a huge living room for example.
This may seem small, but those reminders that I can in fact roll with change and not push against it are very helpful. Please continue prayers in this direction for me!
“I lift up my eyes to the hills—
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.”
- Psalm 121:1-2
