How One Change Helps You Make Other Changes
I’ve had a lot of reflection time recently. After finding out it would cost us $7k to rent a minivan for our Oregon trip we decided I would drive from Arizona and Michelle and the kids would fly. That decision meant I drove away from our rental home by myself after enjoying it with our entire family for weeks (which was weird). And it’s meant I’ve had a lot of amazing introvert time to think.
Being back in Oregon this long—and especially buying our own rental home in Oregon—has stirred up lots of emotions of ends and beginnings and the bizarreness that is life. Oftentimes we need to learn how to let go of things we love or that feel good in order to make room for what Jesus has for us next. It turns out we didn’t need to let go of Oregon, we just needed to let go of our original plans for what we thought we’d do in Oregon.
I recently read a book from Cait Flanders where she said that “Every small change you make pays compound interest. It helps you make another change, another mindset shift, another decision to live a new way.†I love that idea. That’s why the journey tends to matter just as much (if not more) than the destination. If you understand the craziness of compound interest it’s exciting to think of how that shapes future changes we’ll be able to make based on changes we’re making today.
I recently wrote about having to put our dog to sleep (see: Life, Death, Dogs). I thought that after Chloe we would be done with dogs until the kids moved out. But that change had compound interest on it. It turns out that my experiences with Chloe put new things in perspective for me and now we are looking at adopting a Border Collie rescue dog. One change can help you make other changes.
So I’m reflecting on how our changes are allowing us to redream our future in Oregon and redream our relationship with a dog. But this is really the essence of life. Making one change at a time as Jesus invites us forward. The beauty of all of this is that we might not be able to even fathom where the ‘compound interest’ of our changes may take us in the future. All we have to do is respond to the next change in front of us.
The only way to lose in this equation is to be so afraid of change that you cling to the present despite what Jesus may be inviting you to experience. That’s the choice of not growing. If that’s you… reconsider change as an investment in compound interest. There’s an adventure ahead.
Oftentimes we need to learn how to let go of things we love or that feel good in order to make room for what Jesus has for us next. Share on X
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