The Blessings in Change

Change.

That word can bring fear and dread to many but hope to others. Some may drag their heels, resisting it, while others may willingly step through the open doors.

You know what I’m talking about ;)

COVID threw a wrecking ball into everyone’s lives—including mine. I remember the first few days we were in lockdown, where I (sorry to say) moped around, refusing to give in. For good reason—after all, a performance that I had worked so hard to get together (and direct) was now entirely canceled.

It was hard. It was more than hard.

I went from completely bored, going through the motions, annoyed at being in lockdown—to slowly starting to see God’s blessings.

How? Read on to learn more!

God controls the change.

As we see the fall leaves turn a gorgeous array of gold, red, and orange (not where I live—but hopefully soon!), change drifts across the horizon. In fact, our days are constantly changing—whether we realize it or not. Daylight savings comes and goes, flowers wither, and people die. Life may seem meaningless. After all, what’s the point, right?

As Christians, we do have comfort—the Bible says in Isaiah 20:8, “the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever."

That means He will still endure. Even when change is all around, even when our worlds are falling apart, even when things don’t go as planned.

There’s beauty in change.

Yes, yes, I get this—this may feel impossible to see at first.

However, the Bible says: “all things work together for the good of those who love God.” (Romans 8:28).

God’s constantly watching over us, even when we don’t see anything changing. He hasn’t forgotten about us. That’s why, even in the midst of life’s uncertainty, He can work things out for our good.

During quarantine, I’ve kept a daily journal. It’s been short, brief, sweet, and simple, but it’s helped me see the blessings in my life. It started small. At first, I wasn’t sure what to say, and I was tempted to give up journaling because nothing interesting happens in my life, anyway!

Or so I thought.

But I didn’t give up. Why? Because of the selfish reason—I wanted to look back over the years and see what happened during my lifetime.

However, it blossomed into much more.

It was hard at first. There was literally nothing to write about, other than “I studied today. I wrote a bit too.” Again, I was tempted to stop journaling.

If you’re in the same place, know you’re not alone.

I began to keep the idea of journaling in my mind as I went about my day. Did I finish an important task? Did an activity with my brother? My cat did something hilarious?

That all went into my journal at the end of the day.

Eventually, my list kept growing. More and more, I started seeing little things that made my day just a tiny bit brighter.

And that brought beauty to the change (aka COVID).

How can you see the blessings in change?

Change isn’t always fun. Sometimes it’s heartbreaking. Sometimes it’s just sad. Sometimes it’s a grueling, drawn-out process.

But there are some activities you can do to flood the joy of gratitude into your life.

Make a “thankfulness jar.”

I started this back in January of 2020. It’s a jar filled with slips of paper, with good things that have happened throughout this year. Every day, I put a piece of paper inside (sometimes two or three).

It’s pretty self-explanatory—I taped a mini-post-it note pad onto the lid of the jar, along with a pen. Every day, I take a post-it note off and write about a blessing in my life.

At the end of the year, I’ll have a jar full of post-it notes and memories.

Brighten someone else’s day.

If you’re an extrovert or simply enjoy the company of other people, but find it lacking in some respects due to circumstances, take some time to write a note to someone. It can be an encouraging email, a card, or a funny meme—whatever it takes. Oftentimes then not, you’ll feel that sense of joy that comes from spreading a little bit of light on someone else’s path.

Read God’s Word.

I’ve personally read a lot of Psalms through quarantine, and I’ve found that even one chapter can help me strengthen my faith in God and my desire to do all things for Him. Besides, just getting time to read the Bible without rushing around in a hurry is definitely a big step.

Celebrate little things.

Seeing the good things in everything life throws at you can be hard. But as you take these steps, stop and celebrate. Stop and be grateful for those times that God opened up time in your schedule to read the Bible. Be grateful for the time that He gave you to invest in those memories with your family. It can be anything—however small—that will get you closer to seeing your life with gratitude.

Have you felt God’s hand in your life, even through your trials? Have you taken any steps toward being more grateful to Him? If so, share about them in the comments so I can celebrate with you!