Lay It Down
My wife reminds me every now and then of how fixed I am in my ways. I argue with her, but she’s right. I am fixed in my ways and very confident in my own ways of doing things. I struggle mightily with changes to my routine if they are prodded or directed by others – in either my personal or professional life. Crotchety is probably the right characterization of me. I really am stubborn and eccentric in a sense.
But in times of great change, being crotchety is the worst possible character trait, even if you are the one in charge. Change requires adaptations to routines; change requires collaboration with others and letting other great ideas move to the front; change requires giving up on that path that made so much sense just months earlier and focusing on a path that makes so much more sense now; change requires a level of humility that admits that the genius that got you here may not necessarily be the genius needed to get you there.
For any crotchety person, the current times are the “perfect storm” of distress. The economic conditions are driving change in our personal lives. The affects of the economy on our businesses are driving change to our professional lives. Many folks are making lifestyle changes in response to financial challenges that exist, and many businesses are taking decisive action both proactively and reactively to the changing spending patterns of their customers. All of these changes are an escalating drumbeat of anxiety for crotchety people – me being one of the most crotchety of all.
So I find myself seeking calm amidst this great storm of change, and I find myself praying for wisdom and peace more fervently than ever. And each time I pray, I find answers, and in those answers I find peace. Today, as I pondered the latest challenges I face and drilled down on the most recent required changes to my own routines, a song by Jaci Velasquez came on the radio:
So I’m gonna lay it down
I’m gonna learn to trust You now
What else can I do?
Cause everything I am depends on You
And if the sun don’t come back up
I know Your love will be enough
I’m gonna let it be, I’m gonna let it go,
I’m gonna lay it down.
If you haven’t heard this song, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_Hm-RYS4Bs and listen prayerfully. I think it will touch your heart and bring you peace just like it did for me this morning.
So I’m gonna lay it down. I’m gonna learn to trust Him now. That is my prayer for me and for you today.