October 27, 2014

Quote of the Week

"God can't give you anything new until you let go of the old."

I hate change. For some reason I'm convinced that things will get worse if they change, and even if things aren't so good now I'd rather they stay the same rather than risk a change. When I came into the program I was told I'd only have to change one thing, and I was relieved to hear that. But then they told me that one thing was everything! I quickly realized that the first thing I needed to change was my attitude about change. 

A good friend of mine in the program has a different view on change. She says that you can't know what you don't know. "How many times do things get better after they change?" she asks. When I think about this and look at my experience, I find that they almost always get better. "Then why not look at change as a chance for improvement and turn the results over to your Higher Power?" she suggests.

 The more I follow my friend's advice, the easier it is for me to handle change. A couple of days ago my wireless router went out and it felt like the end of the world. After I calmed down, it occurred to me that I might get a more powerful router and actually have improved wireless coverage in my home. Now that was a change! These days when things change, I ask myself how they have improved or how I can make them better. Once I put my focus here, I find it's easier to let go and even look forward to change. 

What I've learned is that God can't give me anything new until I let go of the old.