Tuesday, July 21, 2020

Are you in need of a change?



I am not a writer, and have never really claimed to be...not even of songs really. Almost all of the songs that have come from my CD's were written from the heart and soul of a prolific lyricist, Beverly Nutt.  (If you don't follow her, please go do so right now!)
Change has been on my mind lately. With everything going on in our world in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic storm, we have had to learn a new normal...a "NOW" normal. Masks, restaurants at 50%, social distancing, and the list of course goes on and on....we could all come up with 15 things that make us uncomfortable during this time.
Change is inevitable, right? We know that in time, things will change and either we can go with the flow, or we can die trying to STAY THE SAME!  For example, all of my adult life - 2001 to  2015, I had been in ministry. Youth ministry, small groups, young adults, worship leadership, women's ministry and anything else you could imagine within the church.  For three of the last five years I have worked for a wonderful company based in Winston Salem, Flow Automotive Companies. No, I don't sell cars, but I work very hard to ensure those who are buying cars have a good experience. I also work to ensure that our team in the internet department work very closely with the teams at the physical dealership. You never know how many moving pieces there are at one time in a large corporation until you are a part of it.  Confession: not one part of me was necessarily comfortable in this position until very recently. When I say recently, I mean like within the last 6 weeks.  Why? Because I was FORCED to learn more by being still in the office. I couldn't travel to any of our stores. I gathered data, I called managers, I checked in with agents, I ran reports and I can tell you WAY more about sources of marketing leads than any person should be able to! No, I do not love reading reports and sharing data. Does that sound like something a creative person would love? NO! Change in circumstances forced me to learn my job better so that when I went to a store last week, I felt confident and able to say what I needed to...very clearly and without stumbling over my words.
I typically like change - I move my furniture around often! I don't like for habits to be changed though. I don't love when routines change, unless I feel I'm in a rut. But guess what...it's going to happen. People change, situations change, life changes...what are you going to do about it? Change with it or again, die trying to stay the same? Curling up in a hole and sinking isn't a viable option in my opinion.
Consider this...when was the last time you grew from a situation without something changing? I don't really look much like that picture above anymore - I was younger, there were a few less pounds, fewer wrinkes and I had jsut gotten a sweet little doggy. (NOTE, my hair has stayed the same & that's kind of sad.) I am not the same person I was when that photo was taken. What needs to change in you? What are you seeking? Anything? What part of your heart do you need our loving God to come touch and change? Do you need to be less angry? Disapointed?  Do you need a friend during this hard time? What needs to change to make your situation better right now?
Just some things to consider and think about - how can we help each other as a community and Body of Christ. When we cannot all meet TOGETHER physically, can we be together in spirit and try to get through this changing time arm in arm.
Friends, I love you and am thankful for each of you. Please let us know how we can be here for each other and make the changing times a little less difficult. You are loved! Please don't forget it!

AW