Change: Hold both loss and gain

Change. The very word can strike fear into many hearts.

Each of us reacts differently to change. And it may depend on what area of life the change affects—some changes are more difficult than others.

The congregation to which my fiancé and I belong is entering a period of discernment and reflection on the changes that have happened and are happening in our community and in society in general. Church leaders want to be pro-active in how we meet the changing needs of individuals and families.

Just the very process of meeting to reflect and discuss is raising the fear level of some members. I do understand those fears. The unknown can do that to us. We don't yet know what will change. We don't know what losses we might incur, what we may have to give up. However, we don't yet know what we might gain, too—perhaps discovering new ways of being and operating that we'll come to cherish.

Perhaps that's the easiest way to deal with change: see the "both/and" of it all. Yes, we'll lose some things we liked. And, yes, most likely we'll gain some things we will come to like. Loss and gain. Both/and. Can we hold both of those at the same time? So much of life is like that, isn't it?



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