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🎧 READ TO ME
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This world can be a very difficult and complex place to live in depending on your background and destination. Sometimes it looks like nothing is working and at other times, everything seems to be working just perfect. You can be thrown into a series of unfortunate events that can make you question everything you ever believed in and at other times, everything can be going so well you wonder how you got so lucky. There are times when friends are all over the place and they can be very kind and pleasant, and there are other times when you wish you didn’t have friends or that you had another kind of friend around you. The point here is no matter what life you are living, there’s always going to be some amounts of ups and downs.
it is very easy to lose hope in times when hope should be a staple.
In our world today, there are many things you wouldn’t need someone else to tell you about before you become aware of them: like how the news is almost always bad news. Terrorist attacks here or there for one reason or the other, gun violence being on the rise in some nations, natural disasters, poverty, civil wars and so on.
Under these conditions, it is very easy to lose hope in times when hope should be a staple. It’s easier to lose confidence in humanity and become callous in the process. It’s easier to choose selfishness instead of being helpful to others. “With greed and the worst parts of humanity on the rise, why not?” you may ask. After all, it is easier to be mindful of oneself than to think about the good of everybody else right?
The frustration of living in these times seem to be increasing everyday along with the myriad of unpredictable situations that come with it. Take the COVID-19 crisis the world is facing now for example, first, it came in as a surprise: nobody expected it. Secondly, one would expect that with the advancements in medicine, there’d be a solution by now. Unfortunately, this crisis keeps going on and it’s been so for almost a year now. No one knows exactly when it will end or how the future is going to be post-COVID-19 era. There is so much uncertainty ahead. Unfortunately, the problems that this crisis has created in its wake: rise in unemployment, closure of businesses, depression and even death, have not helped allay any of these fears. Everything seems to be changing very fast around us.
though the waters may look murky all around and the spaces occupied by quicksand keeps expanding around us, there is still a safety net, a solid rock, that is accessible to all
So, the question I want to address in this post is: How do you find a constant in this constantly changing times? I’ll try to show you that though the waters may look murky all around and the spaces occupied by quicksand keeps expanding around us, there is still a safety net, a solid rock, that is accessible to all. There’s still a reason to be hopeful and expectant in times when the situations around us dictate the opposite response that giving up or losing hope is better.
Know that in life, everything changes!
Let me start by asking this question: How would you feel if everything remained the same and there was no room for change? Well, I imagine this will get you thinking about the importance of change for a while. For me, change has always been somewhat of a challenge. That’s until I realized that there is nothing wrong with change itself, only how we approach it. In life, everything changes! From our bodies to our behavior and habits, our thoughts to actions, society, the economies of the world, houses of power, among other things, everything has got to change at one point or the other. So, it’s no more a question of whether something will change, but when.
there is nothing wrong with change itself, only how we approach it
Despite knowing this, I have come to also understand that when change is predictable and incremental, it’s much more acceptable than when it comes in like a typhoon: sudden and ginormous. Unfortunately, lately, change happens like a typhoon. It’s more unpredictable and difficult to deal with. Fortunately, there is a way I have learnt to deal with change that I believe will be helpful to you.
I’d like to clear the obvious solutions first. So, the first thing I’ll suggest is know that change is inevitable and that is the way of the world. To be wise is to understand the implications of this statement. You see, like I mentioned earlier, if you go about life thinking for some reason everything is going to be just as it’s always been, you’re doomed to panic, stress, failure or depression when change hits you. The opposite is true. If you plan for change, you’re more likely to survive it without much troubles. What do I mean by planning for change? The reality is, most times, you will not know what form or type of change that may hit you. Due to this, you have to always have some form of space in your life for that. I mean, make hay while the sun shines! Never overlook the importance of this.
Make hay while the sun shines!
Go ahead and save up some money while you have a job for when you may not, make contingency plans for when things go awry and invest in opportunities that will support your contingency plans. Make good friends who will be with you through difficult times, develop basic skills that will make you useful at all times like cooking or gardening. Don’t leave any stone unturned!
You’ve got to be dynamic!
The second thing I’ll suggest is being dynamic. Change is always difficult to manage when you are not dynamic. This is because after you have made plans to cater for changes, certain changes can go on for a long time— longer than you planned for. It is therefore necessary to be open-minded to see opportunities you can capitalize on to prevent you from running dry on resources.
If you’re doing these things already, you’ve probably noticed they can really make you edgy. Trying to keep up with change in itself can be very tough. Preparing for change and changing with change can leave you without a reference point— no constant. You may lose yourself in the end and become someone you don’t recognize any more. To avoid this, you’ll need something that does not change no matter how much the world changes around us. You’ll need God!
Understand that you’ll always need God!
You see, humans were created to experience change without changing what’s at our core. That is, you can become a better version of yourself as long as you know yourself. Knowing yourself means knowing why you exist. Knowing that, means knowing the one who created you in the first place, God. God is the constant that transcends the universe. Unlike everything on earth, his existence is not affected by time. He inhabits space and he’s eternal.
you can become a better version of yourself as long as you know yourself
The whole universe is anchored by him because he’s immutable, he never loses his reference point. As the source of human existence, he offers great hope by letting us know we can be actively connected to him. Can you imagine all the benefits you’ll enjoy just by being hooked to him? Well, having a constant in a rapidly changing world happens to be one of them, the reason why you must not pass up this opportunity. Imagine having perfect peace when everyone else is anxious about one thing or the other. Just try to imagine sleeping on a boat in the midst of a storm. Can you picture that? That’s what it means to have him as your constant in this world.
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever
Hebrew 13:8
I dare say that, you can be prepared with plans and be dynamic but without God on your side, you’ll still come up short. Don’t fret! Choosing God’s side is easy. Only believe in Jesus Christ. I took this step many years ago as a teenager, it’s been 16 years now and I’ve never regretted it once.
You see, the world can be a very wicked mistress, and If you don’t have a master who can back you up, you’ll always be on your knees begging for something. You’ll always find yourself empty deep inside and trying anything else won’t work. We have a part of us as humans that is eternal and which can only be filled by God.
My aim is not to scare you to Jesus Christ, but to give you a chance to see that life is best lived from his perspective and, no matter how appealing anything else may look, you’ll find out it’s just empty.
I trust this will be helpful to you, and as always, enjoy life to its fullest!
