Coping with Change

Danielle and I have always enjoyed going to Destin, Florida for a few days every summer. We have even given some thought to one day moving there, buying a condo on the beach, and enjoying the waters of the Gulf.

Since the current economic downturn, I have studiously avoided looking at how my retirement funds with Guidestone, the Southern Baptist annuity agency, are doing. Last week, however, I yielded to the temptation of taking a peek at the funds to see how they are performing in the midst of the present stock market crisis. When I got off the computer, Danielle asked, “Are we still going to be able to live by the water one of these days?” “Yes,” I said, “we will still be able to live by the water. But instead of our living in a condo by the water in Destin, it now looks like we will be living in a tent by the water tank on Water Tank Road.”

Things change. If there is anything constant about our world, it is change. John Killinger said that if Rip Van Winkle were alive today and in need of another nap, he would not have to sleep for 20 years to find everything different. A few days, or even a few hours, would be long enough.

Longer periods of time produce even bigger results. I heard about a man who went to the movie with his wife and stopped to buy some popcorn as he entered the theater. When the attendant told him how much the popcorn cost, he was outraged. He said, The last time I attended a movie, popcorn was ten cents.” The attendant said “Well, sir, you’re really going to enjoy yourself tonight because the movies now have sound.”

How do we deal with a rapidly changing world around us? We have to be willing to give some old dreams honorable burials and dare to dream some new dreams. The fact that some dreams are older does not necessarily make them better.

Find the happy medium between stability and change. Some things are non-negotiable, while other things are subject to review and updating. The Bible is the unchanging Word of God, but the founders of our country set up a procedure to amend the constitution to keep it relevant and applicable. Learn to distinguish between what is manmade and what comes from God.

Pray for grace to help you cope with a rapidly changing world. Paul wrote to the church at Philippi from prison. He said, “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength” (Phil. 4:11-13).