Stop Resisting Change

Stop Resisting Change

Release the Tendency to Resist Change

We get stressed when things are in flux or uncertain. Because God is immutable and changeless, we think our human life should be as well. So we resist change, and get fixated on the only one way we think things should be, which is then exacerbated by others having different opinions. This resisting of change is what causes suffering. Everything will keep changing anyway, since that is what it means to be human.

Don’t get duped into being afraid of – or chafing against– how things actually are. It is impossible to obtain our sense of security and satisfaction from within the dynamic system of the human condition, where everything is in process.

Stop identifying change as bad. If you don’t like what is going on, fear not, for it will change too. God is always good, but good has infinite facets and trajectories. Progress is a spiritual mandate, and as Mary Baker Eddy would say, “Infinite progression is concrete being.” That makes it clear that change is fundamental in this human experience.

Relaxing into how things actually are, without limiting the good that can continue to unfold, is the needed enlightenment that breaks those bonds of suffering. Change must not only become humanly acceptable but revelatory.

Please release your struggle against what is, and embrace each present moment instead. It is not the end of the story. Awaken to the fact that there are more paths and possibilities for good than you’ve ever considered. You can let God be in control of the bigger picture, and in the meantime, you can be open to unidentified good in each and every one of your ever-modifying situations.

Think of a sailboat crossing the lake. It tacks this way and that in a zigzag pattern depending on the wind. At any point it looks like it is going in the wrong direction and will arrive in the wrong place. Don’t be anxious that it appears to be off course; corrections are going on all the time, whether you are aware of them or not. Regardless of the indirect path, the sailboat will still reach where it is supposed to be, so was always, at any point, in a fine place.

Being human is full of ambiguity and uncertainty. Choose to focus instead on the present spiritual fact that your security and satisfaction is already divinely assured– knowledge of that fact is your sailboat. As the winds around you change directions, don’t be impressed by it or resist it. Simply respond and trust, gratefully witnessing every good, expecting to be dazzled by what transpires, and letting go of any need to micromanage the human situation. Relax and enjoy the ride.

I work to amplify good wherever I find it. I love color, texture, beauty, great ideas, nature, metaphor, deliciousness, genuine spirituality, and exploring new territory. I encourage authenticity, nurture creativity, champion sustainability, promote peace, and hope to foster a new renaissance where we all are free to be our most fulfilled, multifaceted, and terrific selves. Read more here.

4 Comments

  1. Dilys 2 years ago

    Good advice, thanks Polly!

    I am learning to trust God whatever is thrown up in my path. We read in the Bible in the book of Acts that St. Paul said “none of these things move me” when faced with challenges! How wonderful!

  2. Elizabeth A Shattuck 2 years ago

    Thank you Polly. “In heavenly Love abiding, no change my heart shall fear…”. I think of this hymn often when confronted with all sorts of issues, from financial to relationship to health concerns. Right now, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house [the consciousness] of [LOVE] for ever.”
    (SH 578:16)

  3. Meg Hanson 2 years ago

    Thank you. I needed that.

  4. Deborah Dunne 2 years ago

    Thank you Polly. That’s very helpful.
    Deb

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