How to Embrace Change + Join Me and Korie Robertson
This season ahead is full of change for our family. I’m taking a big leap and starting homeschool with Grace. This means a lot of things are changing, namely my work schedule and what will be filling my brain and heart each day. The journey ahead isn’t just about teaching her to read and write and discover the world (I’m going to have to rely on Ari to teach math!); it’s about cultivating her heart. More on homeschool in another post as we figure out what’s best for our family.
Today, I want to talk about change.
Homeschool isn’t the only thing changing around here. We’re hiring a new team member, transitioning to a new caregiver, and I found out some health news last week that has me in a bit of a tailspin (I am 37 and this is happening). Ch-ch-ch-changes!
Six months ago, I was nervous about the homeschool transition, but the little-by-little steps I’ve taken with my PowerSheets have added up. I am excited and ready.
That doesn’t mean the next few weeks and months won’t be challenging, though.
Change–even good change–can be uncomfortable.
Change is hard.
Transitions are hard.
But, after the last two years of rapid life change, here’s something I never thought I would say about this season ahead:
I am grateful to be stretched outside of my comfort zone.
We humans like certainty and known outcomes, am I right planner friends? Our brains seek out patterns and habits because they require less brain activity, so change literally feels uncomfortable. It feels like a lot of work because it is more work for our brains—and hearts.
That means that true change is supposed to feel hard. It may even mean we are growing in the right direction and changing for the better.
You might be thinking right now that you do not want change, even if it’s for the better. But, let’s dig a little deeper.
Do you want to live more intentionally?
If so, then yes, you do want change! You just may not want the hard parts that come along with it.
We want it but we don’t want it, right? : )
Do you have a transition or something new ahead?
Whether you’re starting something new, taking a leap of faith, walking through a season of waiting, helping kids transition back to school, or are in the thick of something challenging that’s pushing you outside of your comfort zone, here are three tips for embracing change. Disclaimer: these tips don’t apply to every situation, but I almost hesitate to even give that disclaimer! Y’all are wise beyond your years. Apply these tips with prayer and wisdom! They have certainly helped me in many situations over the last two years:
1) Go with it to grow with it. Resisting change might be making you spin your wheels, holding you back from potentially better outcomes. We try so hard to resist change, but that’s like resisting the seasons and wearing shorts in the winter! Winter clothes in the winter months are a good thing. You should wear them. : ) The alternative is to stay in your comfort zone and not actually be that comfortable in the end. Growth and change are inevitable parts of every new season.
2) Think big picture to break out of small thinking. Ask yourself, “Will this change get me closer to where I want to be when I’m 80 years old?” For me, will homeschooling Grace be crazy hard in the short term? Yes, likely. Will it bring me to my knees? Yes, I anticipate so. But, in the big picture, will it help Ari and me cultivate Grace’s unique heart? Lord willing, yes. Will taking a leap of faith and hiring a new team member help us grow and flourish–and therefore change more lives? Yes. Will embracing the changes my body is going through help me to uncover solutions? Most definitely. Denial is a comfortable place to be until it’s not. 
