2007-04-16
A couple of weeks ago, one of the Waterloo PM’s said to me:
“The only constant is constant change”. This person then explained that she had thought at this stage of her life, she might have gotten used to this level of change- but somehow she hadn’t and each new change brought with it a tension between excitement/motivation and stress.
I thought about the changes that we have experienced in Waterloo, Wellington and at the West District office over the last six months and it has been significant.
- There have been changes in staff team members at every level- in one team there has been almost total staff turnover twice in the past year.
- There have been changes with people we support- some people have been called home to Heaven, others have been ill, we have been privileged to meet new people and begin to support them in their lives.
- There has been policy/procedure change- the latest being new Occurrence Incident Definitions and learning a new form and summary process
- These same types of changes have had their impact on corporate office and the organization as a whole. And that’s not all! There have been the exciting developments in global and vacation ministries, the evolution of CH Canada as distinct from CH Ontario and the joining of effort between Children’s Homes International and CH.
If you were to think of your last six months of work with CH- how many of you have experienced significant change in one way or another? How many of you anticipate still further changes in the coming six months? Has some of the change you have experienced been difficult for you?
Add in the changes that we also experience personally and it seems clear that we need to spend time developing coping strategies to use during times of change.
John Maxwell has written a number of times about change and it’s impact on work and leadership. Two books that speak to change are “The Difference Maker” and “The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader”.
Change takes lots of time, tremendous energy, perseverance and desire. This is because change IS hard.
Maxwell believes that change is one of five potential obstacles to creating and maintaining a positive attitude.
He states quite clearly that change can mean grief as well as growth for us. Grief can come due to personal losses (roles, preferred tasks, people); and as a result of change taking us into uncharted territory where fears can beset us and sometimes the positives hoped for as the result of change do not materialize.
Change also can bring great rewards. It offers a path to growth. It offers answers to problems- especially when well thought out and constructed responses are developed. This is true on a personal level and in the collective spheres.
Our culture and current world environment have created the need for continuous change and the tempo of the need to evolve and grow seems to be increasing.
About ten years ago, there was a period of change across our organization. At that time, some of us participated in a staff breakaway day that had a focus on the impact of change in our lives. Many people shared their stories of how they personally coped during times of change. Each person described something of value, outside of themselves, that brought comfort, stability or a clearer perspective to their experience of change. These external factors were varied- perhaps family or hobbies or humour. It seems true to me, that we can endure or even welcome and move more successfully through times of change when there is this external stability and support.
For us as Christians, the best stability and balance is found in Our Rock and Our Salvation. Today, I wanted to reflect on God’s goodness and promises so that we are reminded that God is a our very present and personal help to see us through times of change.
With God we learn…
1) We can face change and thrive because God is unchanging and He never fails.
Psalm 119: 89-90
Your word, O LORD, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens. Your faithfulness continues through all generations; you established the earth, and it endures.
Malachi 3:6
"I the LORD do not change.
James 1:17
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
Hebrews 6:17-20
Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.
Hebrews 7:21-28
…He (Jesus) became a priest with an oath when God said to him:
"The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind:
'You are a priest forever.’” Because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant. Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. …Such a high priest meets our need-One who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself. For the law appoints as high priests men who are weak; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever.
Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
2) We can face change and thrive because God’s love and promises are enduring, reliable and personal!
Jeremiah 29: 11-14
For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the LORD
Romans 8:37-39
In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Psalm 28:7
The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped.
Isaiah 41:10
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Psalm 100:5
For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.
Psalm 117:12
For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever.
Praise the LORD.
3) We can face change and thrive because God strengths us and equips us.
1 Chronicles 29:12
Wealth and honour come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all.
Proverbs 16:9
In his heart a man plans his course,
but the LORD determines his steps.
Psalm 68:35
You are awesome, O God, in your sanctuary; the God of Israel gives power and strength to his people
Isaiah 40:31
But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
1 Corinthians 3:8-10
The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labour. For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building. By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds.
1 Corinthians 15:57-58
But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain.
2 Corinthians 9:7-9
Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
Colossians 3:22-24
Employees, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favour, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
Being upheld by God through times of change allows us to understand and offer to others support.
So…practically what can we do?
I have synthesized a few suggestions from John Maxwell’s books. These are all relational in nature.
Understand yourself. Examine your reactions to change and learn what you need- then plan with this in mind. Make a commitment to change- within yourself first- it’s never too late!
Understand people. Spend more time observing people and talking to them. Ask questions and listen. Find out how they are coping and what they might need.
Love people and help them. This is the heart of our ministry. Strengthen your heart to be responsive. The only assets not easily replaced are people. Make a list of little things you can do to add value to the people God has placed in your life- then do them.
Organizational change affects not only the organization but also each person aligned with the organization. Area Managers, District teams and many corporate office team members have the privilege of supporting Program Managers. In my opinion, these are the people who work in the jobs that face the greatest amount of change demand. Their ability to cope, manage and embrace change has a direct and lasting impact on the lives of the people we support. Whatever we can do to assist them and make change easier at the program level, will be well worth doing.
To end, I want to play a brief video clip of one of the people we served for a number of years. She shared some of her thoughts about change that highlighted for me the amazing opportunity we have collectively, to serve others. By listening and developing the processes necessary to assist people to grow, to accomplish personal goals, by being good stewards each day on the job, we will be serving with excellence and I trust that some day we will hear “Well done, faithful servant”. This honours God.
My prayer, for myself and for each of us, is that we will cling to Christ- our sure foundation- today and every day of this change filled life!
Presented by Mary Roberts,
Area Manager West District
Devotions Corporate Office
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