Article June 3, 2019 Issue

Let go of the old to embrace the new

Toni Wengler

It’s not always easy to welcome change in our lives, or to let go of the things we love—things which may remind us of memories we cherish. It may be even harder to feel confident that what the future holds is good, perhaps because we believe we’ve already had our best years. I’ve certainly had my own moments of resisting change. But I’ve come to see that oftentimes, the very change we’re resisting could in fact open the door to new opportunities to bless and be blessed.

For many years, our family was very fortunate to spend most weekends at our lake house, enjoying nature, family activities, and time with friends. We made so many wonderful memories there. Then the kids and grandkids grew up and moved on with their lives, and we no longer visited the area as often. Once in a while, over a period of several years, my husband and I would discuss selling the lake house. But we always resisted taking any action.

It was unusual for me to resist embracing change. As a lifelong Christian Scientist, I had learned to trust God implicitly and faithfully, and to consistently turn to Him in prayer for direction in my life, because God is good. In the book of Jeremiah in the Bible there’s this assurance: “ ‘I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’ ” (29:11, New International Version). There’s no mention of loss in this promise from the Bible, as God’s plan for each of us is always good, and better than anything we could plan on our own. As God’s children, we are known by God and cared for by Him, so it’s natural to let God’s unfoldment of good in our lives take place, instead of holding on to things and ideas we’ve outgrown.

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Let go of the old to embrace the new

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