I love change…I really do.  I like to rearrange furniture, reorganize my workspace and file systems. New responsibilities are an adventure. Even the dreaded labor of actually moving to another house or city invigorates me almost as much as it exhausts me.

That occasionally makes me just a little smug when the people around me are complaining about all the changes coming at us every day in every aspect of life.

Technological advances, global unrest, the economy, societal standards….nothing seems to remain as it was just a few years ago.

I have always subscribed to the philosophy that to live and grow is to change while failing to change is to decay (itself a form of change) and since I can’t avoid change, I might as well embrace it.

Lately, I’ve had a few episodes of change overload. It has helped me to see why so many people resist change.

Have you ever seen a lumberjack log-rolling contest? The woodsmen compete to see who can remain upright the longest while standing on a huge log that is floating in a deep pond.  The log rolls around in the water and the men have to run and twist, dance and skip, frantically trying to maintain their balance on that bobbing and rolling tree trunk.  Even the winner in the contest doesn’t remain dry for long, just a few seconds longer than his competitor.

Adapting to constant change can feel like that. It’s hard to maintain one’s balance without some point of stability.

Recently, when I began to feel the log shift beneath my feet again, I reflexively flung out my arm and grasped the Father’s hand.  Immediately, I began to enjoy the dance once more. 

No matter how this earth bucks and rolls as we stride through life we have a constant point of stability if we trust in God.

The secret to enjoying the adventure is to be sure that our first reaction, our deepest reflex, is to reach for his hand.