'...I have learned to be content...' Philippians 4:11 NIV
Since you can't escape change or the stress that goes with it, here are some steps you can take to help you handle it. First, choose your battles wisely. Answer these questions: do you instinctively give in to fear and oppose change, even when it might benefit you? Do you keep throwing yourself across the tracks, hoping to stop the freight train of reality? Do you think that no issue is too small to be ignored? Waging war on too many fronts always results in fatigue and defeat, so choose battles big enough to matter. Secondly, try to become more adaptable. What's your most common response to change? Dragging your feet? Assuming a 'have to' attitude? Doing only what's necessary? Once you stop caring, life loses its sparkle and ironically you become even more stressed. So learn to become resilient. Paul said, 'I have learned (it's a process that takes time!) in whatever state I am, to be content.' Thirdly, welcome new experiences. If you're moving forward in life your surroundings will be constantly changing. If they're not, you're going in circles. Clinging to the familiar just buys you comfort today at tomorrow's expense. Draw on God's grace, plunge in and seize the day! Fourthly, learn to live with uncertainty. Always struggling to 'stabilise' in a constantly changing world is like trying to push water uphill-you soon get tired and stop and it runs back down over you. Learn to live with loose ends; 'wing it' a little more, instead of struggling to make sure that life always happens on your terms.
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