The Fear of Change

Well what do you know… It is the middle of the week, the sun is shining for the first time in awhile and I am expecting to have a great day!  Let me continue with the second lesson that I learned from our midnight escapades the other night.  As I delved further into the cause of the anger surge that I had experienced, I saw that it was caused by a chain of events that had been building up within me.  In being ruthlessly honest with myself, I began to understand that the anger was ignited by the fear of a possible permanent change in my wife’s health which would cause a change in our lifestyle and more importantly, in our relationship.  Most of us do not like change, and especially when there is the possibility of it having a negative impact on our lives.

Numerous years ago I worked for a large electronics firm that was going through some major upheavals.  Our section of the company had just split off from the parent corporation and after more than 50 years as the main contender in its field, was suddenly faced with stiff competition from a variety of smaller firms that were successfully entering the marketplace.  What ensued was a brisk launch of changes in most areas of the business that focused on making us a much more efficient and cost effective manufacturing entity.  

As you can imagine, these changes were met with vehement resistance from a large percentage of the employees.  As a Process Supervisor I was faced with the task of explaining the upcoming changes to my crew, and I literally spent many long hours attempting to answer their many questions and calm their fears.  The most difficult individuals to work with during this time were the workers who had been with the company for a long time.  Many of the machinists in our division had been with the company for over 15 years, and they were very set in the way things had always been.  The fear of having to deal with something new was quite freighting to them.  In the months that followed, many of the workers accepted the changes, while others fought them every step of the way.  Eventually most of us were forced into an even bigger upheaval as the manufacturing plan was totally revised and all production was sent overseas.  This decision sent a few thousand people into a whole new experience of job hunting and lifestyle changes!

Fear of the unknown can be very scary if you don’t have a strong and proven foundation to support you through the shaky times in life.  My foundation gives me the confidence to know that even though times may be rough right now, that the future will prove to be even better than the past.  Therefore, I need not allow fear to take any affect in my life!  Psalm 18:30 assures me that “The promise of the Lord has proven to be true…” (God’s Word©)  Yes, we may have to fight some battles, but we progress forward with the assurance that He will turn our darkness into light and give us the ability to break through whatever barricades that might get in our way. (check out Psalm 18:29)  How do you receive change?  Do you have a strong support under you that can turn your darkness into light?  Think about it.  Stay tuned and keep asking yourself… “What am I expecting today?”