Change

Change is a good thing.  Some times we have to convince ourselves of that, but most of the time looking back, we're all the better for it.  One client I had is a pastor of a church.  He is probably one of the most charismatic people you could ever meet and his family is incredibly genuine.  He explained to me about a custom they have in their services.

The band starts playing a familiar tune and then the pastor stands up and proclaims that it's time to walk on change!  What a great analogy, I thought.  Walk on it, like you can conquer it!  It was a great symbolic sentence.  However, they do it literally!  When he makes that statement, members of the congregation take out the change from their pockets and they begin to walk on it...literally!  He reassures those who do not have any spare change on them, by explaining that they can reach into a bin in the room full of change.  The coins they collect then become their own.  At that point they have the option to keep it, or throw it down with everyone else.  After the process is complete, he has volunteers going through the aisles scooping up the change.  That money of course is used as a charitable gift which sustains the church ministry.

Isn't that a powerful example of what it means to "own" change?  After all it is inevitable.  Things will move on and move forward.  We can fear it, or we can celebrate it.  We can try skirting the issue or we can WALK on it!  We can certainly be bigger than any obstacle in front of us.  If we don't feel like we have enough in us to change, we can borrow strength from someone else until we have our own. 

It's actually pretty exciting when you think about it!