Proverbs 16:7–11 ‘Better a little with righteousness than much gain with injustice. In their hearts, humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps.’ (vv8–9)
Change is feared because it interrupts our familiar routines and the comfort they give us. Neuroscience tells us that change offers us uncertainty and the brain interprets uncertainty as an error code. Dr Sanam Hafeez, neuropsychologist, says, ‘The more you do something the more ingrained it becomes in neural pathways, much like how a computer that stores the sites you visit – when you log onto your browser, they will pop up …
Change is an upheaval of many things and the brain has to work to fit it into an existing framework.’ No wonder we procrastinate! We also dislike change because we associate it with the loss of things we currently like. So it makes us anxious, fearing we won’t survive it.
Managing change well will depend on the ‘facts’ we select about the anticipated consequences. All anxieties are imagined, yet still, impact our approach. We’ve no precise knowledge of these adjustments, and our only skills are drawn from previous experiences.
Better the devil we know than the one we may encounter. This can create a vortex of fears that suck us into despair. However, God reminds us that whilst we face an unknown future, He has our steps prepared.
God promises neither to fail nor forsake us, but how much confidence does this give us? ‘You absolutely can and should teach your brain to change,’ says Hafeez. So obedience is learnt, a discipleship discipline. Not easy and it requires consistent personal application built on confidence in God’s Word.
SCRIPTURE TO CONSIDER:
Num. 23:18–26; Isa. 43:1–21; Phil. 4:10–20; Titus 3:1–8
AN ACTION TO TAKE:
How do you approach change?
It’s said that the difference between
a path and a rut is just six inches!
A PRAYER TO MAKE:
‘Lord, may I learn to live in the present
rather than look to the future which is
unknown and therefore unmanageable. Amen.’
Photo by Håkon Grimstad on Unsplash
