Episode 109 - The Hope of Change

I once heard someone say that the only constant in the universe is change.  That's a great way to look at change.  It happens whether we want it to or not.  Nothing stays the same.  There are times when we want change and times when we don't.  Regardless, change happens.

There are many reasons why we don't want change.  Sometimes we do want and need change and have a sense of hope that things will be better.  

In this episode I breifly look at the hope we have in change.  I explore some thoughts about change and then look briefly at the relationship of hope and change.

I invite you to join me and to share this episode with others.

Transcript

Hello Friends, I’m your host Dr. Dave Laton and thank you for joining me in Our Journey to Hope.

 It is my desire through this podcast to bring you information about how to discover, sustain, or perhaps regain hope.  

 In this episode I want to briefly look at how hope and change work together.

 I used to swim a lot and really enjoyed it.  But there was always an element of swimming that I dreaded.  That was when I first jumped into the water.  That first plunge was going to be a shock from the coolness of the water.  

 I recall that when I was a teenager myself and some friends used to make extra money during the summer hauling hay.  This involved walking alongside a truck or wagon pulled by a tractor and throwing the bales up to the bed.  Then someone would stack the bales on the bed.  Once it was fully loaded, we would head to the hay barn to store it.  This involved throwing the hay into the loft or loading them onto a conveyer (if we are lucky) to be transferred to the loft.

 All of it was hot, itchy, and tiring work.  Quite often after we finished, we would go to a local creek or pond, strip down, and jump in.  The cold water was initially shocking to the body but also refreshing to cool down and remove all the itchy straw.  

Change is like taking a plunge into water.  We initially dread it, feel the shock of the change to our system, but then adapt and grow comfortable in our environment.  Sometimes, the water is too cold.  We quickly jump out and go back to our previous environment without giving ourselves time to adapt.  Perhaps we give up too early. That too describes an element of change that I’ll look at later.  We become so uncomfortable with the change that we give up and go back to what we were.  

Here's another example.  I used to golf and loved the sport.  Like most of us, I had to learn a whole new set of skills.  We don’t just pick up a golf club and whack the ball down the fairway in a beautiful straight line.  There are all kinds of elements to a good (successful) swing.  One critical element is how we grip the club.  Most of us don’t just grip it like a baseball bat and swing away.  Perhaps we did at first, but then realized that doesn’t work.  We learn to change our grip in such a way that we maintain control and bring the head of the club into good contact with the ball.  

I had a comfortable grip but still experienced slicing (the ball heads off to the right).  A friend suggested I change my grip.  I’m right-handed so he said to interlock my right pinky finger with my left index finger as I gripped the club.  He said this would prevent me from gripping the club too tightly and swinging too strongly.  At first it felt awkward, but I kept doing it that way.  It became my new way of gripping the club.  As soon as I picked up the club, I naturally gripped it as he had suggested.  Soon, the swing improved and so did my score.  

Change has been described as something that we dread and even fear.  There might be things in our situation we don’t like, but we have grown used to them and perhaps even grown comfortable in them so the idea of change and having to experience discomfort and stress makes us avoid change.

But something to think about, change is ever present and ongoing.  We know that as we age, our bodies change for better or worse.  We know we change from experiences in life, again, for better or worse.  Nothing stays the same.  Somethings need to change.  Somethings need to be reenforced.

There are many things that keep us from changing.  Perhaps fear of the unknown or fear of the unexpected keeps us from embracing change is the most common.  The anxiety that goes along with the fear keeps us from taking the plunge.

Another common reason to not jump in is that there is often disruption to our lives because of our change.  Some just don’t want to be bothered with the disruption.  This is also understandable since it leads to a whole new set of challenges, perhaps causing the need for even more change.  The process of adapting to the new is uncomfortable to us and those around us.  Ask anyone that has tried to stop smoking.  They’ll tell you that although there are benefits, there is also discomfort for themselves and those with whom they interact.  But the good from it outweighs the uncomfortable so change is pursued.

Just remember, change is ongoing, but so it the hope for better things.  If change is needed, then take the effort to change.  Change is ongoing but so is hope.  Hope is the confident expectation that what we want will happen.  As things improve as we “hoped for” that hope become reality.  

Let’s embrace the hope of change but don’t do it haphazardly.  Let’s develop a plan for the change that is needed, work the plan, evaluate how things are going, and change the plan if needed.

Friends, thank you for joining me as together we journey to hope.  I trust in some small way we have encouraged you to discover, sustain, or regain hope through this effort.   

I invite you to contact me if you have questions or comments, or if you wish to share with me something you’ve experienced in your journey to hope.  My email is info@ourjourneytohope.com.   

And please, share this podcast with someone whose hope is being challenged.

I look forward to sharing more with you soon.  Again, I'm Dr. Dave Laton, and thank you for listening.  And until our next episode, remember, we give all glory to God our Father.