Be the Change

Yesterday, my sister was amazed at my brilliant parenting skills (ha!) as I stopped a squabble between my children regarding a shared snack and one pair of sunglasses in the afternoon sun. I quickly put a towel over their heads and suggested that they eat their snack in a tent. Squabble over (at least until the first child knocked the new form of shelter off his or her head.) I don’t credit brilliant parenting for this result; I credit change. From childhood misunderstandings to greater personal woes, change may be just what is called for to make life a happier experience.

The example of the towel over the head is simple redirection that children easily tend to accept. Redirection is not complicated, but can lead to positive change and even giggles. Adults need redirection, too; perhaps all that is needed is a change of scenery (or a towel over the head); just taking a walk around the block can often lead to clarity of mind and heart.

I believe subtle changes we make in our lives can have ripple effects that lead to greater change around us. These moments of pause, these redirections, often enable us to get out of our own way. They give the Divine the opportunity to open our eyes, open our hearts, open our ears, open our minds to paths untaken or perhaps even unimagined.

If our normal response to irritation is to rise to anger or become defensive, I wonder what might happen if instead we took a deep breath and paused before responding with gentleness or empathy? Or, what if our response is always silence? What might happen if we spoke up? What kind of greater change might these redirections present to ourselves or the people around us?

In Christian denominations following liturgical seasons, it is the season of Lent, a time when a lot of people are thinking about change. They’ve either given things up or added daily practices such as journaling, exercising or praying in the hopes of bringing positive changes to their lives and to others as we approach Easter and the celebration of new life, new awareness and greater connection to ourselves and our relationships with God.

I also know that during this season there are many people facing other great and perhaps unexpected or unplanned changes in their lives: the loss of a loved one, the birth of a new child, a new marriage, a divorce, a move, a job transition, an illness. 

It is each person’s choice in how they will respond to change. I have been inspired by the strength, faith and energy expressed by the people in my life facing particular changes as of late. They’ve looked upon these new chapters in their lives with hope and are letting go of what may have kept them from being fully engaged in their last chapters. They are embracing wholeness and enabling God to empower them for what lies ahead. Their positive radiance is beauty to behold.

Major change doesn’t happen over night. Usually it’s thoughtfully (often times tearfully) considered over a long period of time before we’re able to let go and let God help us through what needs to be done to open new chapters in our lives. Sometimes it’s not major change that is needed; we may just need a slight shift.

Michael Jackson’s song “Man in the Mirror,” suggests that if you want change, start with the “man in the mirror.” This is a favorite song of the girls in my Thursday Theological Thinkers group, and I’m always amazed at how often I get into the car after one of our discussions and find it playing on the radio.

So here for your enjoyment and inspiration is Michael Jackson and his lyrics with tribute to Ghandi, who said, “If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him. ... We need not wait to see what others do.” The short version… be the change you wish to see in the world.

With love and light,

LT