Thank goodness for January, the month when everything finally returns to normal inside my home.
You see, every December, deep inside me, I feel change impending despite all my attempts to pretend otherwise. What change might that be, you ask?
It’s the transformation of my house into a beautiful “Christmas wonderland”. It happens every December when my wife and I haul the boxes of Christmas decorations out of storage, replacing all my favorite regular décor for a month of snowmen, angels and twinkly lights. Yes, I admit, I do enjoy our festive home when the decorating is done, but it’s the change that I struggle with. So, on the morning of January 1st I start asking my wife when we can put everything back to “normal”!
The truth is, I prefer things to stay the way they’ve always been. Do you ever feel the same?
Do you wish employees could all work at the office instead of from home?
Do you wish you didn’t have to keep buying more hand sanitizer or check temperatures?
Do you wish the supply chain wasn’t a disruption to your business flow?
Do you wish inflation was 0%, no longer impacting your employees and business operations?
Do you wish you could shield all of your employees from the burnout they feel in life, and that resignation letters would stop crossing your desk?
Change is a tale as old as time. Thankfully, we have the opportunity to look to the Bible where God shared many stories of leaders who experienced change.
Mary, the mother of Jesus planned to marry her fiancé, Joseph, and live a normal life in a small town until an angel told her there were other plans in store. She would become pregnant by the spirit of God and give birth to a son who was to die a horrible death in order to save the people of the world.
Abraham was asked to pack up his life and leave his homeland to travel to a destination unknown to him until he was en route.
Some fishermen and tax collectors were told to board up their businesses and follow a man named Jesus who said he was God’s son and would teach them to be fishers of men.
Change is propelling us forward much faster than any other time in human history. The global population is increasing. Knowledge is accelerating. Technology is revolutionizing every industry it touches.
In this frenetic world, is there anything that remains consistent in the face of constant change? Thankfully, yes. The attributes of God are unchanging. He is the same today as He was the day the earth was formed.
Since God is everywhere, He’s in the middle of your problems.
Since God is loving, He cares about your life when you feel misunderstood or abandoned.
Since God knows everything, He can guide you when you are confused.
Since God is sovereign, He knows what will happen in your future.
Did God have inflation on his radar? Yes, He did.
Did God know the Covid-19 pandemic was going to disrupt our world? Yes, He did.
Did God know you’d have a hard time retaining talent and attracting new employees? Yes, He did.
Does He know the end of your story and does He want to guide you along your journey? Yes, He does!
I offer you one final encouragement and reminder of the faithfulness of God from the prophet Jeremiah: “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. (Jeremiah 29:1)
May we navigate the change-filled days ahead with grace for ourselves and those around us, and with eyes fixed upon Christ.
Yours for navigating change all year round,
Greg Leith
About the Author
Greg Leith
Greg Leith is the CEO of Convene. He was born in Canada and lived in all four corners of North America. His career spans over 35 years of senior leadership roles in corporate, non-profit and academic sectors. Recently, he served as Director of Strategic Alliances for 13 years at Biola University in California.