November’s Thoughts are about CHANGE

Hymn #361 tells us “Don’t be afraid of some change.”  Is that how we feel about change—fearful?  Are we afraid of change?

Fear seems like a big word to use about a small conflict, a small change.  Well, although scary might be more present with a big change, change is incremental and it can creep up on you. Making small changes, working on each fear as you go, is best practice for long-term change..

So, if aversion to change, small or large, is fear-based, how might we get past the fear to accept the change?  Think about a fear you have, and how you deal with it.  Public speaking, heights, dogs, water….we have many fears and even more ways to deal with them.  Nelson Mandela said, “Courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it.”  Let’s be clear—if somebody is so fearful of flying that they will never fly, then all they have to do to have “triumphed over it” is to declare flying as a line in the sand that simply will not be discussed.  Period.  

“Don’t be afraid of some change.”  Maybe an improvement could be made.  

How about, instead, when you feel afraid of some change, note it, acknowledge its presence, and find the inner courage to behold the new surroundings not with fear, but with wonder.  Let’s be afraid, then triumph over it.