Are you in the midst of change and trying to balance the need to take ownership of that change with the need to walk by faith?
Years ago I was struggling to find that balance and wrote this:
I feel like I have been on a path of stepping stones.
Most days this path is surrounded by intense fog that is so thick you can’t see anything – not even the next stone.
A short time ago, I wrote about some of the major adjustments of our recent move to become first-time expats in a big sandbox and shared that the hardest time for me after any move consistently occurs four and six months after each move. (I’m in that zone now.)
Three weeks ago we were blessed with a two-week vacation to see the people we love, and to do some traveling. Now everyone is asking if it is even harder to go back to the sandbox.
Yes – I’m tired. I think that’s from the traveling and the heat and humidity we returned to.
No – I did not miss my “cloak of invisibility” – I did not dig it out once the entire time we were gone.
Yes – I still miss blue skies and puffy clouds. (I took this photo of puffy clouds on the plane.)
No – I didn’t think I missed driving that much, until I saw my car. When I saw it I literally had to go sit in it, and open the sunroof and imagine I was cruising down the road on day filled with bright sunshine and cool breezes. (Unfortunately, driving it will have to wait until the next visit with the hopes that there will be more time re-tag it and get it out of storage.)
However, many of my friends said that after a summer away from this place, returning was harder than usual. (…And not being able to load their children in a car and take off go wherever and whenever they want to, is one of the reasons for their struggle.)
Yesterday as I sat at the grocery store waiting an hour for my bus, not being able to drive hit home at a higher level:
Do you know anyone that is struggling with a change in his or her lives right now? Do you know any organizations that are in the midst of extreme change and sinking instead of swimming? Are you aware that 3 of the top 10 Critical Human Capital Issues for 2013 are CHANGE related?
A series of events in our expat journey has convinced me that anyone that has grown up as an expat child has developed wisdom and skills that will help others navigate change. So I asked a couple of friends to share their experiences. (Special Thanks To: Amy Murphy & Lynette Elrod Hudson for sharing their stories!)
After hearing their stories, 6 lessons stand out:
1. Provide vision and stability in the midst of extreme change.
“When we moved to a new country, my dad would go ahead and scope things out and then come back with great stories of what he had found. Sometimes he would be gone a month or two as he started a new job and found a house and we finished that year in school, so when he got home we were just happy to go wherever it was to be together.” Lynette
2. Form relationships with people based on their character, not the color of their skin …Or the shape of their face!
“The first time I realized that people of different races looked different was in 3rd grade. (I’d been an expat child since I was two.) I thought my classmate had a flat face and I asked, “Why?” Amy
Yesterday morning I had a conversation with a close friend who is very angry about a couple of situations in her life. As we spoke I was reminded of something I learned years ago…
[Tweet “Anger covers pain. “]
Think about that for a minute. If you have been deeply hurt and never been given the opportunity to be really heard and understood, it is naturally tempting become angrier and to begin to think and talk and act like a victim. If you give into that temptation, it becomes even more tempting to consistently look for new evidence to support your anger.
There is so much at stake if you give in:
Worst of All: Anger Spreads and Infects Others
~This is one of my favorite quotes…
“Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.” Apple
[Tweet “I am one of the crazy ones!”]
