Changing part 2

Let me clarify something from my blog yesterday. Change resisters are never to be viewed as adversaries but as advisers. Resisters to change are a necessary piece in the process of transforming a good idea into a great one.

I like the analogy that I read that we should view change resisters as one of those funny sounds that our car makes when it is out of tune and in need of repair. Those sounds can be our allies and not our adversaries in the process of tuning our car to make it run better. Using change resisters in a positive way it a great way to make our ideas more workable and saleable.

Change resisters help us recognize the flaws in our ideas. It's amazing how resisters have the ability to see right through the weakness of a proposal.

Change resisters help us learn and understand the hidden psychological barriers we have to overcome in a group that is dealing with change. Just because an idea is a great one doesn't mean that people are going to buy it.

Ken Olsen, the head of Digital Equipment Corporation, once said, "I can't imagine any reason for the family to have a computer in their home."

Now then, let me say this.

Change does not automatically bring growth. But to grow means that we change. I would suggest that if Christianity is about anything, its about change.

I change when I connect with Christ and old things are passed away and new things are here.

I change when I decide to be "in the world, but not of the world."

I change when Christ becomes the center of my life.

I change when I am constantly revising my priorities to keep Christ at the center of my life.

I change when I realize that there are patterns and ruts in my life that keep me not only from the abundant life in Christ but from effectively sharing my faith with others.

I have heard it taught that if we are not advancing in the faith, we are plateauing and plateauing is in effect the same as going backwards.

We always want to keep on striving, keep on moving forward, keep on "being all that we can be for God."

Change can be defined in these ways:

to make different
to make radically different
to transform
to give a different position, course or direction
to make a shift
to undergo modification
to pass from one phase to another
to undergo transformation, transition or substitution.

Change is about courage, hope, taking risk, having fun, having a cause, survival, the future, getting comfortable with the uncomfortable, making things great in our church.

The only thing constant element of our lives should be change.

Now then back to change resisters and why we resist change. I am going to use the pronoun "we" instead of "they" because there are times in my life where I resist change as well.

We resist change when we sense change will demand more energy than we are ready to give. "But it will take work," some say. Well, yeah.

We resist change when there is a steep learning curve. "But I will have to learn new stuff." Well, yeah.

We resist change when because we sense there is an increased workload. It takes more energy, more times, and greater mental concentration to go about a process of change. "But it will take more time." Well, yeah.

We resist change because we are not informed. "Are we doing the right thing?"

We resist change because it disrupts our comfort zones. I don't like to shop. Buying new clothes or new shoes is difficult for me. Wearing new shoes is never fun because they can make your feet hurt. Most people really enjoy the comfort zone they have grown used to, even if they know that a new order of things will be better for the entire group.

We resist change because we fear embarrassment. We think that by accepting change we have to acknowledge that they way things were done in the past was wrong. People will go to great lengths to "save face."

We resist change because of baggage from the past. Gripes from the past can fuel resistance to new ideas for the future.

We resist change out of a lack of trust. People buy into the leader before they buy into his vision.