Don’t accept the status quo!
“In this day and age, it you are not changing, You’re moving backward.”
– Andrew Manically, IV
Life has a way of making it easy to fall into a rut and just follow the status quo. A familiar saying I have heard many times goes like this: “We have ALWAYS done it this way! Why change it now?”
The times or events out of our control can bring on change whether we like it or not. Case in point is Covid-19. As an aside, have you wondered like I did, where did that name come from? Well, let me share what I discovered. The World Health Organization developed the acronym from: Corona virus disease of 2019. Thus, Covid-19. Now when you get together with friends (6 feet away), you can impress folks with your super wisdom when you play 20 Questions and come up with this answer.
Now, on to more serious “stuff” related to challenging the norm. What does it mean to question or challenge the norm? Is it to identify new and better ways of doing something? In many cases it can and should add value. The challenge should not be combative, but to offer ways to escape being content with the way things are and build a better way of life.
Prior to Covid-19, we started and ended our day in a routine manner. Sunday came and we worshiped in the same ways – went to our favorite pew, sat in our same place (Lord help the person who perhaps was sitting in our spot!). After church, we went to our favorite eating establishment. After eating, maybe we headed back home for an afternoon of relaxation or watching a sports event on TV. In other words, life was a regular series of seemingly normal events.
Remember the childhood story of Chicken Little where he ran screaming “The sky is falling! The sky is falling!” Perhaps many of us felt like Chicken Little when we first heard of Covid – 19. Our world appeared to be falling to pieces. But, what we needed to learn was to have courage in a time of crisis. We can be in a position to be a “change maker”. Nothing will happen if we retreat into our “in-place shelter”, flip on the TV and wait for things to get better. No! We can get busy by realizing we do not have to accept the status quo. We CAN be part of the solution by looking for opportunities to go outside the box and find ways to function in the midst of a crisis. Learn a new language. Engage in a hobby that has been ignored for some time. Find new ways to connect with family via FaceTime, phone or writing personal notes. Take a car ride and explore surroundings you have not seen before. In other words, get out of your comfort zone and learn/try something NEW. Don’t let your fears stop you from stepping outside the box that has you in your rut.
Joshua 1: 9, NIV, says: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” As I mentioned in my my previous article, “Accept the past and fight for the future!”, there is HOPE if we place our trust in our Lord.
Thanks for reading this series on CHANGE. My prayer is, if you got one positive suggestion out of these articles, that is a start toward dealing with changing times. God bless ya real good!
-Terry Miller has over 30 years of banking and training experience with major banking institutions.12+ years as owner/principal of Terry Miller & Associates – a training and development firm. He spent 8 years as director of Pastoral Care with Waxahachie Bible Church. Terry is currently semi-retired. Continuing with self-employment directing Terry Miller & Associates, a consulting firm conducting speaking and training engagements, in addition to authoring and publishing 4 books.
