Most of us have been through a difficult change in life, and change often brings with it pain. Pain that, at the time, seems as if it could swallow you whole and erase every remembrance you had of your past self.
Even if you have yet to experience this, we all have to face it sooner or later. Many are quick to hide-- holding their breath, finding distractions, and waiting. Waiting for the sting of reality to be washed away by the passing of time.
A dear friend of mine gave me this book that has forever altered the way I view a painful change in life, and the Lord's work in our every breath- however difficult that breath may be.
An excerpt from the book:
"This is what I've come to believe about change: it's good, in the way that childbirth is good, and heartbreak is good, and failure is good. I've learned the hard way that CHANGE is one of GOD'S greatest GIFTS, and most useful tools. Change can push us, pull us, rebuke us, and remake us. It can show us who we've become, in the worst ways, and also in the best ways. I've learned that it's not something to run away from. And in many cases, change is a function of God's graciousness, not life's cruelty. "
Embrace Change.